Tuning Them In Versus Turning Them On: How Do We Interest Students in Working With Older Adults?

Abstract

As a nation, we face a shortage of individuals to serve our aging population. Therefore, the recruitment of undergraduate students into gerontology programs is an important, although challenging task. The purpose of this study was to determine if students who do not choose to major in gerontology do so because they simply are unaware of the opportunities or because they are uninterested. College students who were not gerontology majors (N = 226) were surveyed to determine whether they were aware of a gerontology major at their university, whether they could define gerontology, and their reasons for not pursuing gerontology. Results suggest that a lack of awareness, rather than a lack of interest, may be responsible for the challenges of recruiting college students into the field of gerontology. This implies that the most efficient path to bolstering our gerontology workforce may be to make students aware of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities in the field of aging.

The Effects of Service-Learning on College Students’ Attitudes Toward Older Adults

“…Social phenomena such as ageism, lack of awareness of the need for workers, and a general lack of interest in and contact with older adults have been identified as fostering misperceptions that affect career choice and steer students away from working with seniors (Gross & Eshbaugh, 2011; Hutchison, Fox, Laas, Matharu, & Urzi, 2010; Lun, 2012; Stone & Harahan, 2010; Wesley, 2005). Given these dynamics, the challenge for the current authors was clear: “How do we motivate students to enter the elder care workforce?”…”

“…Barriers such as ageism, lack of awareness of the need for workers, and lack of contact with seniors can impact the career choice of young professionals (Gross & Eshbaugh, 2011; Hutchison, Fox, Laas, Matharu, & Urzi, 2010; Lun, 2012). To explore ways to increase the number of students who pursue gerontology and to expand the elder care workforce, the researchers conducted a qualitative content analysis on the impact of service-learning in senior care facilities on students’ attitudes toward older adults.…”

DEVELOPING POSITIVE ATTITUDESToward Geriatric NursingAmong Millennials and Generation Xers

“…Nursing students' lack of interest in older adults may result from a lack of awareness of the opportunities available in the field of gerontology (Gross & Eshbaugh, 2011). Nurse educators' personal negative attitudes toward aging and long-term care facilities, as well as students' negative attitudes that nursing homes were "beneath" RNs, affected attitudes toward clinical placement in long-term care facilities (Schrader, 2009;Sheffler, 1998).…”

Effects of Customized Counseling Interventions on Career and College Readiness Self-Efficacy of Three Female Foster Care Youth

“…The gap between the mental health needs of older adults and the number of mental health professionals with specific training in working with older adults is on the verge of a "crisis" (Institute of Medicine, 2012, p. ix). Scholars provide a variety of explanations to account for this, including systemic factors-such as inadequate funding and a lack of training opportunities within academic programs (Bartels & Naslund, 2013;Gross & Eshbaugh, 2011;Robb, Chen, & Haley, 2002)-and personal factors, including low interest in working with older adults (Tomko, 2008) and therapeutic pessimism (Danzinger & Welfel, 2000;Helmes & Gee, 2003).…”