by Minah Cap
Meet Donna Ruffo. She recently retired after years of working as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) at North York General Hospital and as the Professional Practice Lead for the NP group. She is currently a lecturer at Bloomberg Nursing and the Centre for Professional Development (CPD) where she has used her passion for teaching – and sharing her expertise – to assist in the development of the Centre’s new Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult.
New Certificate looks to advance care of older adults
Courses in older adult care have long been a cornerstone of professional development at Bloomberg Nursing’s CPD. The restructuring of this content into a formal certificate, aims to provide learners with advanced knowledge and skills to comprehensively care for older clients across healthcare settings, and builds upon foundational knowledge acquired through entry to practice education.
Ruffo explains that the updated learning content and format offers learners more than just knowledge.
“The new learning paths within this certificate are designed to strengthen foundational skills while also preparing nurses to handle the complex realities of older adult care,” says Ruffo.
Course materials provide participants with a thorough understanding of how complex changes in an aging body impact treatment methods, while further developing nurses’ essential skills like gaining proficiency in conducting a comprehensive geriatric assessment utilizing a variety of evidenced based tools. Course 1 includes theoretical discussions about goals of care and future planning, risk and capacity assessment, mobility assessment, optimization of prescribing and medication management, and more. Case studies with various complex health conditions and more complicated medical discussions are implemented in course 2.
Flexible learning format for accessible learning opportunities
Acknowledging the difficulty for healthcare workers in balancing their work schedule with other priorities, the Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult like other CPD programming, is delivered using a flexible format. Spanning across 9 weeks for course 1 and 8 weeks for course 2, learners can proactively manage their self-paced learning through e-learning modules and submit assignments within a moderated timeframe.
The Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adults offers learners opportunities for interactive discussions, with the instructor and their peers, and includes an emphasis on the application of theory and critical reflection through engaging activities with experienced educators.
The benefits of life-long learning
For nurses, pursuing professional development courses in caring for older adults deepens both nursing and medical knowledge to ensure they are providing the best care for their patients.
“I believe that this certificate also acknowledges learners’ dedication and serves as evidence to employers that they are actively working to enhance and expand their professional knowledge for this client population,” says Ruffo.
As an instructor teaching in the new certificate program focused on the care of older adults, Ruffo hopes to pass on her wealth of experience to the next generation of nurses, equipping them with the skills necessary to provide the highest quality of care for their patients.
“Part of what I also hope to encourage is the value of building a sustainable professional network by engaging with nurse practitioners in various settings, as both learners, and instructors, including through this certificate program offered by CPD,” says Ruffo.
Learn more about the Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice in the Care of the Older Adult program and register for the Course 1- starting on January 12, 2026.