Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult

The Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older adult builds upon the foundational knowledge acquired through entry to practice education and the acquisition of entry-to-practice competencies. This comprehensive certificate is designed for nurse practitioners and experienced registered nurses who are passionate about advancing their expertise in geriatric care. This program aims to equip you with the essential knowledge and skills needed to provide exceptional evidence-based care to older adults. Students will gain proficiency in conducting comprehensive assessments, utilizing various tools to evaluate physical, cognitive, and emotional health and critical aspects such as geriatric specific challenges. Utilizing the best available evidence and practice standards, clinical experts will apply clinical reasoning and judgement to the analysis of assessment findings, determining a differential diagnosis, the identification of assessment findings, use of relevant diagnostics, the development of a therapeutic plan of care, and the red flags that require intervention or consultation. The program will focus on the delivery of primary care to older adults in any setting, as well as the management of urgent issues and acute exacerbations of chronic conditions.

The program will consist of two courses offered by distance education through the University of Toronto Learning Portal. Learners may take the courses in any sequence and will earn a certificate by completing two courses over a 3-year period. An interactive and case-based approach will be utilized with an emphasis on critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, learners will
be able to:

  • Conduct comprehensive assessments of older adults including the physical, mental, functional, social and environmental domains utilizing evidence-based tools.
  • Employ best practices and make evidence informed choices in the assessment and management of patient and family centred care of the older adult.
  • Describe the assessment and management of common acute and chronic diseases and complex conditions in the older adult as well as the management of urgent and acute exacerbations. (Nurse Practitioner learners will focus on clinical reasoning, judgement and use of best evidence and practice standards in the process determining a differential diagnosis and therapeutic plan of care.)
  • Develop skills in prognostication, symptom management, and establishing goals of care with older patients who may be nearing the end of their life.

Audience

Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses in advanced practice roles who are working towards the development of advanced geriatric practice. Health care professionals in disciplines other than nursing are welcome to take this program.

Format

This certificate consists of 2 courses, course 1 consists of 10-weeks in duration and course 2 consists of 9-weeks in duration. Both are delivered through the University of Toronto’s learning management system – Quercus.

Each course utilizes a similar format and teaching methods. On a weekly basis, participants will view an e-learning module, read required readings and actively engage with the course material by participating in various learning activities. The emphasis of learning activities and assignments is on the notion of application of theory to practice and critical reflection. Short video interviews with experienced educators, peer assessments and other technologies are used to model teaching & learning strategies.

Courses are primarily self-paced; however participants are required to engage in discussions and submit activities/assignments within identified timelines.

Each course will host a LIVE Session (via Zoom) for faculty & participants to engage with one another in a group discussion (an alternative option is also available for this activity for those unable to attend).

Participants need to allocate 6-8 hours per week to complete the required components of the course.

Care of the Older Adult 2

This is the second course in a two-course Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult. This specialized certificate program is designed for nurse practitioners and experienced […]

Care of the Older Adult 1

This is the first course in a two-course Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult. This advanced certificate program is designed for nurse practitioners and experienced […]

Contact Us

Centre for Professional Development
Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
University of Toronto
155 College Street, Suite 130
Toronto, ON, Canada
M5T 1P8