WHO CARES ABOUT CARE IN NURSING-EDUCATION

Many sources indicate that nurses have a negative view of work with ag eing patients. Wide-spread stereotypes concerning old age no doubt exe rcise influences in the formation of nurses' attitudes. The research r eported here suggests that nurses' negative attitudes towards the elde rly are consolidated rather than dissolved in the course of their trai ning. The reasons for this may not, in fact, lie in the nature of the gerontology components (small as they usually are) of the curriculum. Rather, the course (or the ''professional socialisation'' process) as a whole appears to carry messages that devalue personal care duties-co ntra the prestige of activities attached to all levels of medical tech nology. The ageing patient, often requiring much hands-on (the body) c are is thus located well outside areas of work which are perceived by nurses to include clearly focused professional pathways.