Baycrest

18 BAYCREST ACADEMY FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PREP LTC: Supporting student placement programs in long-term care The Preceptor Resource and Education Program in Long-Term Care (PREP LTC) is a $73 million project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care to support long- term care homes (LTCHs) in building and expanding student placement programs. As a CLRI host organization, Baycrest has supported the development of new educational components for LTCHs involved in PREP LTC. In its second year of implementation, 80 per cent of all LTCHs in Ontario enrolled in the PREP LTC program, and 1,133 LTC team members completed the eLearning course. Across the sector, 84 per cent of LTCHs enrolled in Year 2 agreed that receiving Year 1 funding increased the quantity and/or quality of student placements in their LTCHs. While the sector continues to fulfil the objectives outlined in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, LTCHs are working to gradually increase the level of care to four hours of care per resident per day by March 31, 2025, which will require the education and training of new professionals to fill the predicted future shortage of more than 27,000 full- time equivalent jobs. The PREP LTC initiative will continue to provide LTCHs with the necessary supports to help them reach this goal. As a nurse scientist with a passion for education and applied, policy-relevant research, Dr. Raquel Meyer brings a wealth of expertise to her role as Director, CLRI at the Baycrest Academy. "I'm curious and eager to support long-term care by bringing the best evidence and leading innovations in education to the Centre," says Dr. Meyer. In her role, she is focused on reinvigorating the workforce and strategically recruiting the next generation of healthcare providers into the field of aging. To that end, she has deepened her interest in serious educational games, scalable educational technologies, and arts-based learning approaches. "It's a joy to explore more effective and creative ways of sparking learning in teams and students who care for older adults," says Dr. Meyer. Ontario CLRI at Baycrest: Strengthening the Long-term Care Sector Since 2012 Baycrest is one of the host organizations of the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI), providing support to enhance the quality of life and care of people who live and work in long-term care. Virtual interprofessional internships in innovation and aging in long-term care Baycrest continues to offer virtual interprofessional internships for students in the health professions. These summer internships provide students with the opportunity to build geriatric competencies, explore careers in aging care, and network with healthcare providers. From May to July 2022, 15 students completed innovation projects based on design thinking methodology, and participated in small-group and serious educational game- based learning focused on aging, clinical issues in gerontology, and interprofessional competencies. The students were satisfied with their internship experience and would recommend the opportunity to others, noting benefits such as increased knowledge related to interprofessional care/practice, increased confidence interacting with residents in LTC, and more awareness of the clinical realities of working in LTC, among others. 18 BAYCREST ACADEMY FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

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