Abstract:
Background: The older adults are the vulnerable group but may still be one of the powerful groups in the society with great influence. Aim of the study: Was to assess knowledge of nursing school students and their willingness to work with older adults. Study Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional design. Setting: The study was conducted at four nursing schools (Tulrak, Fakous, Awlad Saker and Kafer Saker) in Sharkia Governorate from seventeen nursing schools. Study sample: Two hundred nursing school students were selected by using random sample from mentioned settings. Tools of data collection: Two tools were used to collect data: Self-administered questionnaire: socio-demographic characteristic of the nursing school students, The Palmore Facts on Ageing Quiz, and Willingness to work with Elderly People Scale (WEPS). Results: 76.0% of the nursing school students had unsatisfactory level of knowledge regarding older adults. Additionally, 71.0% of them had negative willingness to work with older adults. Conclusion: The majority of nursing school students had unsatisfactory level of knowledge and willingness to work with older adults. Recommendations: Gerontological education should be involved into nursing schools curricula with meaningful service-learning components in nursing schools, and further studies especially qualitative ones should be conducted to explore factors that influence knowledge, and willingness of nursing school students towards the older adults.