Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Elderly Care: A Literature Review
This literature review examines two research studies investigating nursing students' attitudes toward working with elderly patients. As populations in industrialized nations continue to age, a growing gap exists between the demand for geriatric nursing and students' willingness to enter this specialty. The first study, conducted in the Netherlands, used longitudinal surveys to assess nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and preferences regarding older patients, finding that four years of nursing education had little effect on improving these measures. The second study, conducted in Israel, explored key training and motivational factors influencing geriatric care interest among fourth-year nursing students, concluding that improving working conditions may be more effective than curriculum changes alone. Together, these findings suggest a need for a holistic, multi-faceted approach to geriatric nursing workforce development.
- Introduction: The Geriatric Nursing Gap: Aging demographics create geriatric nursing workforce shortfall
- Dutch Nursing Students and Geriatric Knowledge: Netherlands study background, sample, and survey instruments
- Findings from the Netherlands Study: Four years of education barely improved geriatric attitudes
- Israeli Nursing Students and Geriatric Readiness: Israel study examines training factors and student preferences
- Findings from the Israel Study and Policy Implications: Better working conditions outweigh curriculum changes for recruitment
- Conclusion: Holistic approach needed to address geriatric nursing shortage
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper frames the research problem clearly with demographic context before introducing the studies, giving the reader a practical reason to care about the findings.
- Both studies are presented in a parallel structure — problem, methodology, findings — making comparison straightforward and easy to follow.
- The policy implication drawn from the Israeli study (improving working conditions over curriculum reform) adds analytical value beyond simple summary.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative literature synthesis: two studies from different national contexts are selected because they address the same underlying problem. The writer draws cross-study conclusions rather than treating each study in isolation, showing how divergent methodological approaches — longitudinal surveys in one case and focus-group-informed questionnaires in another — can still converge on actionable policy recommendations.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a broad demographic and workforce framing, then introduces each study in sequence with a description of its methodology followed by its key findings. It closes with a synthesis that connects both studies to a holistic policy recommendation. This structure suits an undergraduate literature review and uses APA citation style throughout.
Introduction: The Geriatric Nursing Gap
Changing demographics across industrialized nations have significantly altered the workforce needs of the nursing profession, and this trend is expected to continue as populations age. One issue that has emerged is that younger nurses have demonstrated, through various means, a preference for nursing roles that do not involve working with elderly patients. As a result, a gap exists between the growing demand for nurses who work with elderly patients and the limited supply of nursing students willing to fill these positions. This review examines two research studies that focus on this precise trend and explores how the gap might be narrowed to achieve a more optimal balance in the future nursing workforce.
Dutch Nursing Students and Geriatric Knowledge
One study begins with the premise that nursing students in the Netherlands have limited knowledge of and interest in working with elderly patients, despite the fact that the majority of them will encounter these patients after graduation given the country's shifting demographics (Bleijenberg, Jansen, & Schuurmans, 2012). In the Netherlands, a Bachelor of Nursing degree is a four-year program. Throughout the entire program, the amount of geriatric-specific education amounted to only fourteen hours, encompassing lectures, self-study, and problem-based learning in which students worked through patient case descriptions (Bleijenberg, Jansen, & Schuurmans, 2012).
Findings from the Netherlands Study
The researchers surveyed a sample of nursing students using three instruments: the FAQ to assess knowledge about the aging population, the ASD to measure attitudes toward older people, and the OP — a set of statements about elderly patients that students could agree or disagree with (Bleijenberg, Jansen, & Schuurmans, 2012). A key finding was that first-year students showed low knowledge of and preference for working with elderly patients, and that four years of nursing education had little effect on improving either measure. The study implies that a more targeted educational intervention may be necessary to meaningfully address the skills and preference gap.
Israeli Nursing Students and Geriatric Readiness
A second study focused on nursing students in Israel and their readiness for a planned expansion in geriatric care capacity (Haron, Levy, Albagli, Rotstein, & Riba, 2013). The situation in Israel mirrors that of many advanced nations: a high proportion of the population is, or soon will be, part of the 65+ demographic, and a significant shortage of nurses willing to work in geriatric care is predicted. The researchers sought to identify the key training factors that might influence a nurse's interest in geriatrics, the factors students consider when making career decisions, and other influences that could encourage entry into the field. Notably, the study used focus groups in different combinations to refine the survey design before distributing a questionnaire to all fourth-year nursing students in the country, across both academic and diploma programs.
Conclusion
Both studies suggest that the challenge of filling geriatric nursing positions cannot be addressed through educational reform alone. While targeted geriatric content in nursing curricula may help raise awareness and knowledge, structural improvements to the nursing work environment — including compensation, working conditions, and professional recognition — may be equally or more important in attracting nurses to this field. A comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy will be needed to meet the demands of aging populations in industrialized nations.
References
Bleijenberg, N., Jansen, M., & Schuurmans, M. (2012). Dutch nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards older people — A longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 1–8.
Haron, Y., Levy, S., Albagli, M., Rotstein, R., & Riba, S. (2013). Why do nursing students not want to work in geriatric care? A national questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 1558–1565.
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