title: Ensuring a nurse practitioner workforce prepared to care for older adults: findings from a national survey of adult and geriatric nurse practitioner programs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present the findings from a needs assessment of adult primary care (ANP), gerontological (GNP), and adult acute care (ACNP) nurse practitioner faculty regarding the transition to adult-gerontology NP (A-GNP) programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from two sources: (a) an online survey to identify the faculty's primary needs in order to facilitate success in this transition and (b) telephone focus groups to explore survey responses in greater depth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survey and the focus group findings indicate that there is a strong need for (a) access to a set of nationally recognized competencies for A-GNPs; (b) teaching/learning resources to support faculty in implementation of A-GNP programs; and (c) formal faculty development opportunities to facilitate faculty efforts to engage in curricular redesign and innovations and assure that NP students acquire strong competence in gerontology content.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The transition to A-GNP has implications not only for NP faculty but also for practicing NPs. Almost all NPs care for older adults in a variety of settings. However, most of these NPs are not specialists in geriatrics. This article provides a context for self-assessment by these NPs of their own needs related to this transition.
authors.affiliation: Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing, New York, NY 10003, USA. cacapemay@gmail.com
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Auerhahn
authors.forename: Mathy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mezey
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: Laurie Dodge
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce