How do we increase interest in working with people with dementia? Career preferences of undergraduate healthcare professionals in dementia

Abstract

Background:

With population ageing, an emergent issue in workforce planning is how to ensure that future healthcare professionals are both competent and willing to work with older adults with complex needs. This includes dementia care; which is widely recognised as a policy and practice priority. Yet research suggests that working with older people is unattractive to undergraduate healthcare students. However, how students view a career working with people with dementia is not well understood, in either related specialities (such as geriatrics or old age mental health) or as a general clinical interest.

Objective and Methods:

This sequential mixed methods study aimed to identify the factors that contribute to preferences for working with people with dementia. A summary of three papers will be presented:

1. 1) Preferences of nursing and medical students for working with older adults and people with dementia: a systematic review.

2. 2) Preferences of newly qualified healthcare professionals for working with people with dementia: a qualitative study (n=27).

3. 3) Student nurses' career preferences for working with people with dementia: A longitudinal cohort study (n=840).

Results and conclusions:

The findings from these studies have contributed to the development of a conceptual framework for understanding career preferences for working with people with dementia in students and newly qualified nurses. key factors related to dementia preferences include:

• Student characteristics (e.g. gender, attitudes and knowledge) and whether students perceive their attributes are aligned with dementia care;

• Impact of experiences including dementia educational programmes;

• Importance of making a difference to patients’ lives;

• Perception of working with people with dementia as a ‘different type of care’;

• Perceptions of people with dementia including care challenges;

• Career characteristics.

The findings will be discussed in relation to implications for education and policy for how preferences for working with people with dementia may be developed in line with workforce needs.