American Academy of Nursing

October 18, 2011

American Academy of Nursing Announces 2011 Recipients of the Infusing Geropsychiatric Nursing into Curriculum Awards
Three schools of nursing to be honored at upcoming AACN and NLN meetings

 Washington, DC (October 18, 2011) – The Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative (GPNC) of the American Academy of Nursing is proud to honor three schools of nursing for their initial accomplishments in enhancing their curriculum with geropsychiatric nursing content.

The recipients of the Infusing Geropsychiatric Nursing into Curriculum Award are:

For CCNE-Accredited Baccalaureate Programs: Drexel University, Philadephia, PA, and Graceland University in Lamoni, IA.

For NLNAC-Accredited Programs: Grambling State University, Grambling, LA.

Presentation of the Baccalaureate Awards will be made during the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) 2011 Fall Semiannual Meeting on October 24, 2011, in Washington, DC. These schools will also be recognized at the AACN Baccalaureate Education Conference in November, 2011, in St. Louis, MO. Grambling State University will be presented with its award at the National League for Nursing Leadership Conference in January, 2012, in Chapel Hill, NC.  In addition to the award winners, the GPNC acknowledges with Honorable Mention the efforts of three additional schools: Butler Community College, Butler, PA; North Park University, Chicago, IL; and University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.  

Academy CEO, Cheryl G. Sullivan stated, “we are heartened by the early efforts of these schools who have demonstrated a range of methods to expose undergraduate nursing students to the mental health needs of older adults. Their example will serve as inspiration to others who will follow suit, such that within the next few years, every undergraduate nursing student will benefit from knowledge and skills in this area, and our nation’s seniors will benefit from mental health prevention, early recognition and treatment.”

The Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative, an initiative of the American Academy of Nursing, aims to improve the education of nurses for mental health care of older adults suffering depression, dementia, substance misuse and other mental health disorders. The Collaborative established this curriculum infusion award to call attention to the successful efforts of ‘early adopters’, which is so vital in demonstrating the myriad of ways, such infusion can be accomplished. Award winners will receive a stipend in recognition of their dedication to furthering geropsychiatric nursing education. 

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The Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative is a project of the American Academy of Nursing and is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation. The GPNC is designed to help improve the education of nurses at all levels for the care of older adults suffering depression, dementia, substance misuse and other mental health disorders. The Collaborative’s enhancements have been infused into the revised competency statements of relevant professional organizations and are available along with curriculum materials developed for basic, graduate, post-graduate and continuing nursing education for free at www.pogoe.org.

The American Academy of Nursing (www.AANnet.org) anticipates and tracks national and international trends in health care, while addressing resulting issues of health care knowledge and policy. The Academy’s mission is to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge.