Geropsychology training at the doctoral level: A program evaluation case example

Abstract

While the older adult population continues to grow, psychologists specializing in geropsychology remain a small fraction of the workforce. Facing this reality, it is essential for training programs to better monitor whether their students receive adequate training to serve older adults. The current study describes a brief, logistically feasible, and cost-effective program evaluation conducted within one APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral program. The evaluation consisted of an online survey of doctoral students (n = 99) that explored their field training experiences with older adults, coursework related to aging, and their overall interest in working with older adults. Students reported significantly less coursework and significantly less field work focused on serving older adults when compared to other age groups. However, students reported a high level of interest in learning about aging, with a total of 73.74% of participants (n = 73) reporting at least some current interest. A number of institutional actions resulted from this evaluation, which demonstrate how a brief evaluation can yield data that is practically useful. This case example provides a useful model for others to follow, and may support other institutions’ efforts to evaluate, monitor, and make potential improvements to aging-related training in their own programs.

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