Gerontology
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Debra Burnett |
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The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Gerontology at Springfield College is designed for the working professional who wants to expand their knowledge and skills in the field of aging. The program provides an applied, interdisciplinary education in the field of aging, plus real-life experience working with older adults in a community setting.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career growth in aging-related professions is expected to grow at an unprecedented rate in the next several decades. As such, understanding aging from multiple perspectives can be helpful in a variety of professional settings, such as social services, health care, and finance, and as an important professional credential to add to one's resume.
The program will provide all students the opportunity to:
- Work as an interprofessional/interdisciplinary team member in fields involving interactions with and services to support older adults
- Develop competencies in positive approaches to aging and in anti-ageism
- Demonstrate affirming, strengths-based interpersonal and professional skills with older adults as well as with professionals within older adult venues
- Describe how age-related political, social, economic, and cultural dynamics impact older adults in the United States
- Describe how physical, emotional, and cognitive age-related changes impact older adults
- Effectively engage with older adults in developing meaningful interactions and intergenerational communication
- Meet many of the core competencies for undergraduate and graduate education as recommended by the Academy of Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE, 2021), from the Foundational and Interactional competencies and at least two from the list of eight selective competencies (1-Wellbeing, health and mental health; 2-Social health; 3-Program service development; 4-Education; 5- Arts and humanities; 6-Business and finance; 7-Policy; and 8-Research, application, and evaluation)
- Work with the gerontology certificate program coordinator to develop a plan to meet the requirements for the gerontology certificate
- Gain community experience through internships, practicums, clinicals, fieldwork, or service-learning courses with the approval of the gerontology certificate program coordinator