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February 11, 2011

Evaluation Brief of Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) Reveals Significant Outcomes by Scholars and Fellows
Program has awarded 129 pre-doctoral scholarships and 97 post-doctoral fellowships since 2000

Washington, DC (February 11, 2011) – Referencing achievements over its 10-year history, the John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) program released an evaluation brief, which includes tangible outcome data and annual survey information about the leadership development program and its graduates.

Housed at the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and also supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Mayday Fund and the Jonas Foundation, BAGNC has awarded a total of 129 pre-doctoral scholarships and 87 Claire M. Fagin Post doctoral fellowships since 2000. The scholarships and fellowships are aimed to recruit, prepare, and launch the careers of people who aspire and have the ability to become faculty members and ultimately leaders in geriatric nursing.

Since receiving their awards, the current and former scholars and fellows report that they have:

  • Published over 1,100 papers relevant to the care of older adults, almost all peer-reviewed;
  • Received over $72 million in grants related to the care of older adults;
  • Taught over 11,000 undergraduate students in courses containing at least 50 percent gerontological content; and
  • Formally mentored over 1,000 master’s students on topics related to the care of older adults.

“BAGNC is a critical component of a plan to get nursing ready for its role in health care for an aging society. BAGNC alumni prepare the next generation of nurses and expand the scientific basis of care for older persons,” said BAGNC Program Director Pat Archbold, DNSc, RN, FAAN. “They are well-positioned to be leaders in redesigning the health care system – a key recommendation in the recent IOM report on the Future of Nursing.”

Recognizing the critical need to develop a workforce prepared to care for a growing population of geriatric patients, BAGNC was designed to produce expert researchers, academicians and practitioners who will ultimately improve the care of the elderly. As of 2010, one in five Americans was over the age of 65, punctuating the need for more well-trained geriatric care givers.

Click here to view the evaluation brief online. 

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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.