Health Human Resources Project

Improving Health Human Resources for Canada’s Aging Population: Recruiting Students to the Field of Aging

Canada is facing a growing aging population, which will demand health care practitioners – including doctors, nurses and social workers – who can provide the specialized care older adults need. However, Canada faces a shortage of professionals who can provide that care and thus many older adults receive care from practitioners who do not have specific training in care for older adults. In response to this situation, this project aims to undertake activities to improve the health human resources available that can provide the specialized care Canada’s aging population requires now, and in the future.

This project targets two key audiences: post-secondary students and curriculum development stakeholders. Resources created through this project include:

A student Facebook page (available at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/National-Initiative-for-the-Care-of-the-Elderly-NICE-Students/452669675412?v=info) which provides links to career, educational, volunteer, and funding opportunities in the field of aging, to raise students’ awareness of the diverse and exciting possibilities in working with older adults.

With the help of students and faculty members, the project has also established “Geriatric Interest Groups” in five universities across Canada, which provide an interactive and interdisciplinary learning ground for students interested in geriatrics/gerontology to meet and participate in events designed to interest, and retain, them in the field of aging.

A Supervision and MentorshipDatabase, which students interested in aging can consult to find potential supervisors and mentors in their field of interest. This database is available by clicking "Supervision and Mentorship Database" in the left hand menu.

Since many older adults receive, and will continue to receive, health care from practitioners not specifically trained in geriatric/gerontological care, it is important that basic curricula include training on caring for older adults. Thus, this project will disseminate core competencies in geriatric medicine, psychiatry, nursing, and social work, plus interdisciplinary competencies, to key curriculum-development stakeholders and advocate for the inclusion of these competencies into basic curricula. These stakeholders will include professional organizations, accreditation boards, and deans and associate deans of faculties in medicine, nursing and social work. The core competencies will also be made available on the NICE website shortly.

This project is made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada to NICE, on behalf of the Geriatric Education and Recruitment Initiative (GERI). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Health Canada.

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