Nursing students from one Bronxville-based school receive hands-on clinical experience at The Osborn
Officials with both The Osborn and The New York-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences spoke with News 12 about the need for more geriatric nursing and the integration of hands-on learning at The Osborn.
A post-pandemic nursing shortage and a growing ageing population are putting pressure on care for older adults.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of Americans aged 65 and older will make up nearly a quarter of the population by 2050. As that number grows, so does the need for geriatric nursing.
To combat the issue, The New York-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences incorporates care for the ageing into its nursing curriculum.
The program allows its students to gain hands-on clinical experience at facilities such as The Osborn.
"The clinical and the critical thinking that they develop when they're working with the elderly, because they're not rushed. They have plenty of time to talk," said Nursing Adjunct Mary Stein with The New York-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences.
Stein noted the outflow of older nurses retiring and positions not being filled as another issue plaguing the industry.
This is the fourth year The Osborn has hosted the students, allowing for around 12 nurses-in-training to learn a different side of medicine.
"With the elderly, there's a lot more personal considerations that you have to make in your care. The way you approach them is very different and it's personal," said nursing student Misbah Munir.
Patients like Nancy Bender say that, aside from her physical therapy, the program and facility allow her to get her social time in.
"They know what they're doing. They know their job, and they know their routine, and they're very, very helpful. I think they go out of their way to be helpful," said Bender.
The students graduate on Friday.
