THE STATUS OF GERONTOLOGY IN BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL-WORK EDUCATION

Labor force projections indicate that additional personnel will be nee ded to serve the growing number of older people. However, the current number of social workers trained in gerontology is inadequate, and est imates suggest that the gap between supply and demand of trained pract itioners will continue to increase. Since many of the available positi ons are appropriate for baccalaureate-level practitioners, the Virgini a-Louisiana Curriculum Project conducted research on the current statu s of gerontology in undergraduate education to determine if students a re adequately prepared to work with the elderly. Findings in the area of curriculum, faculty expertise, and program/university resources sug gest that many programs do not have sufficient content and educational resources related to older persons.