The purposes of this study were to describe personality traits of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) employed at nursing homes and explore relationships between personality traits, job satisfaction, and job performance. The sample included 177 CNAs providing direct care to residents in three nursing homes. CNAs with high and low job performance skills were distinguished by the cluster of traits associated with teamwork skills. Overall, 21.3% of the variance in job satisfaction was explained by the personality traits of Adjustment, Prudence, Likeability, Excitable, and Dutiful, F(8, 145) = 4.899, p < 0.001. The links found between personality, job satisfaction, and job performance provide important information about the personality traits of nursing staff who are most likely to enjoy and perform well in the nursing home setting. Knowledge of these links may be useful for hiring the appropriate person for direct care nursing home positions.

Involving older adults as education partners in undergraduate nursing programmes has benefits for all participants and could form a valuable component of any undergraduate nursing programme.

The benefits of intergenerational contact between older and young adults have been demonstrated; yet, nursing programs have underexplored the potential of such relationships for enhancing student learning. This article presents an analysis of student reflective journals as part of an evaluation of an undergraduate gerontological nursing course. The course aims to create positive learning experiences by involving older adults as partners in student learning. Older adults are recruited to receive visits from a designated student to share aspects of their life and experiences. Students write reflective journals based on these visits as a method of evaluating their learning. A framework analysis of 80 journals completed by 59 students identified four major themes representing the impact of these visits on student learning: becoming aware, making connections, seeing the unique person, and valuing intergenerational relationships. The analysis suggests the relevance of the concept of intergenerativity in illuminating shared benefits of the practicum experience.