EVALUATING AN INTERDISCIPLINARY GERIATRIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING INSTITUTE - WHAT CAN BE LEARNED BY STUDYING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES

As recognition of the need for interdisciplinary geriatric teams grows , new and varied training methods will be necessary to reach health an d human service professionals in different contexts and settings. This al-tide reports on the development and evaluation of one such model: an interprofessional educational institute sponsored by the Queen's Un iversity Gerontology Project in 1993. Data analyzed include informatio n on participants' backgrounds and teamwork experience and their asses sment of session content and group work processes that made up the Kno wledge acquisition and skills attainment objectives of the program. Ma jor implications of the institute that became evident include the need to develop a strong institutional foundation, the importance of targe ted recruitment, the connection between theory and practice, and the n eed to present practical techniques strategies, and modeling opportuni ties.