UMDNJ Online Graduate Certificate in Aging Program Accepting Applications

Prepares Health Care Professionals to Serve the Growing Aging Population

NEWARK, N.J., March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The number of Americans 65 and older will double by mid-century rising from 39 million today to 89 million in 2050. As individuals age, they require specialized health care and this health care has had an impact on the delivery of health care services. Unique to this population is the need to provide care from an interprofessional team focus that includes the physical and mental well-being of older Americans. The demand for competent qualified health care practitioners to provide care for the elderly has become critical.

To meet this demand, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - School of Health Related Professions, an innovator in distance education for health professionals, and UMDNJ - New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, a leader in preparing health professionals to better care for the growing elderly population, have partnered to offer an online Graduate Certificate in Aging.

The fully online graduate Certificate is a fifteen (15) credit program consisting of a nine (9) credit interprofessional core and three, six (6) credit specialization tracks geared towards specific health care professionals: dietitians, physical therapists, and other health care professionals. The program features courses such as Approaches to the Older Adult, Managing Disease in the Older Adult, Pharmacology, Mental Health and Aging, Nutrition and Aging, Physical Therapy Examination and Intervention Skills for the Older Adult, and Social and Health Care Policy. Courses are offered in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Course content is enhanced through regular interaction with University faculty and with textbooks, scientific and professional articles, and information from the Internet. The online course delivery mechanism allows students to learn anytime, anywhere. All one needs is a computer with Internet access and word processing capabilities.

The Certificate program director, Dr. Ann Tucker, states "this program has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the working health care professional who desire to develop the skill set requisite to caring for our aging population. This is made possible through the faculty's' content expertise and commitment to excellence in health professions education. Coupled with affordability of state university tuition, this translates into an outstanding value for health care professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge in the area of aging. Credits earned for this Certificate may also be applied to one of several graduate degree programs offered by the School of Health Related Professions, most of which are also offered fully online."

Individuals applying to the program must have a bachelor's or post baccalaureate entry-level degree appropriate for their health profession discipline and license, certification or registration appropriate for their discipline.

The online Graduate Certificate in Aging was supported by funds from the Division of State, Community, and Public Health (DSCPH), Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

For more information contact: Ann W. Tucker, D.Ed. at [email protected] or visit the Certificate in Aging website at http://shrp.umdnj.edu/programs/GCA/index.htm

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,600 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.

The School of Health Related Professions is comprised of eight departments: Allied Dental Education, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Health Informatics, Interdisciplinary Studies, Medical Imaging Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, Primary Care, Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences, and Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling, offering more than thirty undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs on UMDNJ's Newark, Scotch Plains, Piscataway, and Stratford campuses and online via the Internet and currently enrolling more than 1,000 students.

The New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging builds partnerships to promote successful aging. Its mission is to be the premier provider of geriatric care, education, research, and public policy in aging, attracting a cadre of skilled clinicians, educators, and scientists who will set the standards for geriatric medicine, develop state- of-the-art educational programs, conduct cutting-edge research, and advocate to improve the lives of older people in New Jersey and beyond.

SOURCE University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey