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 and human service professionals in different contexts and settings. This article reports on the development and evaluation of one such model: an interprofessional educational institute sponsored by the Queen's University Gerontology Project in 1993. Data analyzed include information on participants’ backgrounds and teamwork experience and their assessment of session content and group work processes that made up the knowledge acquisition and skills attainment objectives of the program. Major implications of the institute that became evident include the need to develop a strong institutional foundation, the importance of targeted recruitment, the connection between theory and practice, and the need to present practical techniques, strategies, and modeling opportunities.