Mississippi Geriatric Dedicated Education Unit Model Initiative

Hinds Community College Development Foundation

Hinds Community College Division of Nursing, Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce, University of Mississippi School of Nursing, University of Mississippi Hospitals and Clinics, St. Dominic Memorial Hospital, Mississippi College, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Central Mississippi Medical Center, North Mississippi Medical Center, Itawamba Community College, the Mississippi Hospital Association, and the Mississippi Health Care Association (Long Term Care Association)

Debbie Logan, RN, MHA, Project Director, Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce; DLogan@monw.org

Libby Mahaffey, PhD, RN; Dean, Nursing and Allied Health; Hinds Community College; EHMahaffey@hindscc.edu

Brief Project Synopsis: 

In response to the current nursing shortage, schools of nursing and health care institutions are being challenged to partner, develop and implement new and unique approaches to address the needs of nursing students as well as retain the experienced nurse at the bedside.  Building on strong partnerships developed under the support of the previous Mississippi Hospital Health Research and Education Foundation (MHA-F) 2006 Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future (PIN) grant, the Hinds Community College Development Foundation (HCC-F) proposes to develop a Mississippi Geriatric Dedicated Education Unit (GDEU) model to impact the recruitment and retention of new and experienced nurses to care for geriatric patients in various settings. The GDEU model will be replicated using the Oregon model (developed from a collaborative between the University of Portland School of Nursing and Providence Hospital) prototype, and accessing the Oregon experts as consultants.  Emphasis will be placed on development of the model in healthcare facilities working with geriatric patients in acute and long-term care, inpatient rehabilitation settings, as well as geriatric psychiatric settings.   This model will address themes of diversity, education, geriatric and long-term care, as well as collaboration.

Project Goals and Objectives:

The goal of the Mississippi Geriatric Dedicated Education Unit Model Initiative (MGDEU) is to develop and implement a learning model that incorporates the knowledge and skills of the experienced bedside nurse to enhance the clinical experience of the student nurse. The geriatric clinical education model will allow the staff nurse to act as the clinical teacher for the students with the integration of knowledge and support of faculty members to provide the optimum learning experience for the nursing students working with geriatric patients.

The objectives for the Mississippi DEU Project are: Develop a Dedicated Education Unit model for Mississippi with a focus on the geriatric population; Develop an innovative, satisfying clinical ladder and career path for experienced nurses; implement a DEU in 3 healthcare settings across Mississippi; and, Provide DEU model and toolkit to all interested schools and healthcare facilities in Mississippi.