Gero Prep was born via an idea and a proposal drafted by nursing faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing. THe proposal highlighted a new way to improve the quality of nursing care through a model that directly involves facility owners and administrators in supporting their nurses to engage in advanced geriatric nursing education leading to board certification in gerontological nursing. In the process, it strives to cultivate nurse-leaders as advocates, sentinels, and team leaders for their
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) quickly funded the proposal, awarding a grant to support a regional pilot project. The RWJF is a leading advocate of innovative health care via progressive education and delivery systems that improve care quality and safety. The precursor to Gero Nurse Prep, the Midwest Partners for Geriatric Nursing was formed and soon had facility and nurse participants over multiple states. The results were quickly clear: training for board certification in gerontological nursing yielded big dividends across the board — higher quality care, better services, lower staff turnover, happier nurses, residents and families. The model and the course needed to be offered to more nurses in a convenient format. From this idea, Gero Nurse Prep was established and extended nationwide via the web.
