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The South Florida Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (SFGWEP) located within Nova Southeastern University's Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, is one of a national network of 59 Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs) funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.

Facilitated by a consortium, the SFGWEP trains health professions students, faculty, and practitioners using an interprofessional team- and community-based approach, all while remaining sensitive to the unique needs of the ethnically and culturally diverse older adults we serve. A cornerstone of every GWEP is to encourage, enhance, and continually promote the profession of geriatrics to students at all levels of education. The SFGWEP's faculty and staff members realize that students must be involved in working with older adults to understand and appreciate the reward of a career in geriatrics.

Mission Statement

The South Florida GWEP is committed to providing interprofessional programs to maintain and improve the health of ethically and culturally diverse older adults from underserved areas across Florida, educating and training health professionals in health promotion and prevention, emphasizing undergraduate and graduate professional education, and serving the needs of underserved with innovative teaching and clinical experiences. The GWEP encourages, enhances, and continually promotes the profession of geriatrics to students at all levels of education, and provides ongoing education and information dissemination to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their families and caregivers.

Goals

• Goal 1-Develop partnerships to educate and train a workforce: GWEP will develop an effective reciprocal partnership infrastructure and communication process to ensure project success. An advisory council will convene to enhance complementary skills and create synergies to improve outcomes under the leadership of a dedicated interprofessional team
• Goal 2-Train geriatrics specialists, primary care providers, health profession students, fellows, residents, and faculty: GWEP will employ four strategies to integrate geriatrics and primary care training through promoting geriatric competencies and awareness of social determinants of health enabling the health care workforce to deliver person-centered care in age-friendly health systems. These are curriculum redesign, 2) student training, 3) provider and faculty training, 4) RCQI assessment and dissemination of training modules.
• Goal 3-Transform clinical training environments to become age-friendly health systems: GWEP will facilitate an age-friendly health system among primary care preceptor sites by identifying opportunities to integrate the 4 Ms. Site specific needs of primary care sites will be identified  and a self-assessment tool will be provided to measure 4 Ms. These are mobility, mentation, what matters, and medication
• Goal 4 – Deliver community-based programs to improve health outcomes for older adults:  GWEP will provide patients, families, and caregivers the necessary knowledge and skills to improve health outcomes for older adults, such as reduction in injurious falls, re-hospitalizations, and episodes of delirium.
• Goal 5 – Provide training on ADRD and dementia-friendly communities/primary care practices: GWEP will provide training to health care professionals, students, patients, families, and caregivers in the early detection, prevention, and management of patients with ADRD to support the transformation to dementia-friendly communities and primary care delivery sites.

Geriatric Trainings

The data below represents the cumulative numbers of South Florida Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) trainees by NSU and its partners.