Development of a tool to evaluate geropsychology knowledge and skill competencies

Abstract

The evaluation tool has both strengths and limitations. We discuss future directions for its ongoing validation and professional use.

Ethical Issues in Geropsychology: Clinical and Forensic Perspectives

“…Nevertheless, numerous resources exist to support evidence-based practices, help geropsychologists achieve and maintain competence in their clinical and forensic work with older adults, and promote ethical knowledge and decision making in geropsychology. Such resources include (a) position statements by professional organizations, particularly the APA (e.g., ABA & APA, 2005, 2008; APA, 2014); (b) scholarly works, such as ethics books, book chapters, and journal articles (e.g., Bush, 2009Bush, , 2012Bush, Allen, & Molinari, in press;Hays & Jennings, 2015;Karel, 2011); (c) the APA Ethics Code; (d) collegial consultation, broadly defined to include ethics committees, interdisciplinary colleagues, and other geropsychologists working with older adult patients; (e) the Fairhill guidelines on ethics of the care of people with Alzheimer's disease (Post & Whitehouse, 1995); (f) advance directives; and (g) the Pikes Peak documents (Karel et al, 2010;Knight et al, 2009).…”

“…Additionally, determining the appropriate level of involvement of trainees in capacity assessments or therapeutic interventions can be challenging in specific cases, given their varying levels of experience and knowledge. Within our training program, the use of a specified model of training which is linked to evaluation, such as the Pikes Peak training model (Knight, Karel, Hinrichsen, Qualls, & Duffy, 2009;Wharton, Shah, Scogin, & Allen, 2013) and the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool (Karel et al, 2010), helps guide such training decisions with graduate students. The Pikes Peak training model and assessment tool covers the foundational and functional competencies expected of geropsychologists and provides a rating scale for clinician to rate their own competencies and those of trainees, helping to identify areas of strength and weakness.…”

“…Allen Education and training in geropsychology ethics may be supported by encouraging self-assessment at all levels of training and practice using a structured knowledge and skill rating tool, such as Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool (Karel et al, 2010). This tool, at its base, will encourage familiarity with other documents necessary for demonstration of foundational and functional competencies in the practice of geropsychology (e.g., ABA & APA, 2008; APA, 2014).…”

“…Infusion of some basic geropsychology content into all graduate training programs will facilitate the APA Commission on Accreditation's (COA) aspirational goal of broad and general training for all psychologists. Encouraging sound ethical decision making and high standards of practice may be enhanced through familiarity with ethics literature (Bush, 2009(Bush, , 2012Karel, 2011), ethical decision-making resources (see, for example, ABA & APA, 2008; APA, 2014; Bush, 2009;Karel, 2011;Karel et al, 2010), and ongoing self-monitoring with consultation when individual boundaries of competent practice are reached. At any stage of professional development, the practitioner must acknowledge that working with older adults is not just an extension of clinical or forensic practice with emerging, young, or middle-aged adults.…”

The knowledge and skills assessment (KASA) tool in the Australian Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service: development and initial testing

“…nurses or psychologists; Karel et al, 2010), and on implementation of clinical interventions (e.g. Edvardsson et al, 2011), the KASA is tailored to the multidisciplinary and advisory role of DBMAS consultants.…”