Introduction
In June 2008, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) convened a meeting of 21 organizations representing healthcare professionals who care for older adults. The purpose of the meeting was to explore how these groups could how to work together to advance recommendations from the 2008 Institute of Medicine Report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, and to meet the healthcare needs of our nation’s rapidly growing older population.
This initial meeting led to the development of the Partnership for Health in Aging (PHA) – now a coalition of over 30 organizations – that identified as its first action step the development of a set of baseline educational competencies that are unique to the care of older adults and applicable to all health professional disciplines.
A workgroup of health professionals with experience in competency development, certification and accreditation was convened, representing the following disciplines:
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• Dentistry • Medicine • Nursing • Nutrition • Occupational Therapy |
• Pharmacy • Physical Therapy • Physician Assistants • Psychology • Social Work |
The starting point for the workgroup was a comprehensive matrix of competencies across these 10 disciplines, (note: these disciplines are currently at different stages in developing discipline-specific geriatrics competencies). Through an iterative process, the workgroup drafted a set of common competencies that were circulated to more than 25 professional organizations for review and comment.
The workgroup reviewed all comments received and finalized a set of 23 competencies that describe the essential skills that any healthcare professional should have, and the necessary approaches they should master, by the time they complete their entry-level degree, in order to provide quality care for older adults. The competencies were finalized in March 2010 and endorsed by 28 PHA member organizations by September 2010.
The competencies are intentionally broad, in order to fit with current competencies for all healthcare disciplines, and to be more easily integrated into each disciplines’ training and certification requirements.
Partnership for Health in Aging Workgroup on Multidisciplinary Competencies in Geriatrics
Todd P. Semla, MS, PharmD, Chair, American Geriatrics Society
John O. Barr, PT, PhD, American Physical Therapy Association
Judith L. Beizer, PharmD, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
Sue Berger, PhD, OTR/L, American Occupational Therapy Association
Ronni Chernoff, PhD, RD, American Dietetic Association
JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez, LCSW, PhD, Social Work Leadership Institute
Charlotte Eliopoulos, RN, MPH, PhD, American Association for Long Term Care Nursing
Carol S. Goodwin, American Geriatrics Society
Catherine L. Grus, PhD, American Psychological Association
Kathy Kemle, MS, PA-C, American Academy of Physician Assistants
Ethel L. Mitty, EdD, RN, The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing
Kenneth Shay, DDS, MS, American Dental Association
Gregg A. Warshaw, MD, American Geriatrics Society
