Megan+Taylor

Geriatric Nursing ﻿Megan Taylor 

The information for Geriatric Nursing that you will find on this page are as follows:
 * Title, Description, and Roles
 * Salary
 * Required Schooling
 * Career Locations
 * Colleges that offer degrees in this field
 * My interest
 * Personal Interview
 * Credited Websites
 * Works Cited

**Title, Description, and Roles** Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, also known as Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, or Geriatric Nurses, focus on caring for the elderly, the development and implementation of treatment plans for chronic illnesses and they provide care, compassion and friendship to their patients. Geriatric nurses are educated to treat the many complex physical and mental health requirements of the elderly. A geriatric nursing career offers numerous rewards and a fair set of challenges. Regardless of the superior care they provide, geriatric nurses will endure patient deaths. They will also likely encounter patients with diminishing mental capacities who lose their ability to make independent decisions about their health. Many older people have health conditions that do not require hospitalization, but must be treated with medication, changes in diet, use of special equipment, daily exercises or other adaptations. In addition, older adults represent half of all hospital stays, nearly two-thirds of all ambulatory adult primary care visits and almost three-quarters of all home care visits.They often function as “case managers” by trying to help their patients protect stay healthy and deal with changes in their mental and physical abilities, so they can stay independent and active for as long as possible.

· Working with the patient’s mental status and thinking skills · Understanding any of the patient’s health issues · Discussing concerns with the patient’s health · Administering and organizing medications based on the patient’s found care plan · Educating the patient about personal safety, disease prevention, and how to promote self-care skills · Explaining and recommend adjustments to the patient’s medication if needed as needed · Educating the patient with local resources as needed · Assisting physicians during the patient’s exams and procedures · Performing patient medical tests in-home or in a medical office · Finding a patient care plan and setting health goals · Teaching family members about a patient's condition
 * The roles that Geriatric Nurses take part in are:**

Geriatric nursing is a career that is in high demand because Americans are living longer and older people are more likely to require health services. The AACN reports that by 2030 more than 20% of Americans – roughly 88 million people – will be over age 65. Half of all hospital admissions are for patients over age 65, but only 1% of nurses are certified in geriatrics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that registered nurses working in home health care can anticipate a 39 percent job growth rate. In hospitals and nursing care facilities, nurses can expect an increase in employment of 22 and 20 percent.

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**Salary** As with any nursing specialty, you can expect your income to vary based on your nursing degree level, certifications and experience, along with the type of facility where you work and your geographic location. Data from PayScale.com indicates that CNSs who focus on geriatrics receive a median annual salary of $70,000. Those with five or less years of experience in the field make $65,000 to $68,913 per year, and geriatric nurses with 10 or more years of experience earn salaries above $75,000. []

**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Required Schooling ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Geriatric nurses must enjoy working with older people. They must be patient, listen extremely carefully and balance the needs of their patients with sometimes conflicting demands from family members. In preparation for a career in geriatric nurses, many individuals volunteer at a local senior center, nursing home or hospice and seek experiences working with patients who have mobility issues, sensory (hearing and sight) deficits, cognitive impairments, chronic and terminal disease. It is important to assess your ability to handle the physical and emotional challenges of working with patients who may not ever “get well.”To become a geriatric nurse, you must become a [|registered nurse] (RN) by first earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at an accredited four-year college, or an associate’s degree or diploma. After graduation, you must pass a national licensing exam called the NCLEX-RN before you can practice as a nurse. Once you have gained some work experience, you can pursue certification as a geriatric nurse. With additional education at the graduate level, you can become a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner or Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. Graduate education is typically required for specialist, administrative or supervisory roles, and for geriatric nursing research. <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> []

**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Locations for this Career ** Many geriatric nurse practitioners work at hospitals, but with a specialization in geriatrics, you can also work for a company that specifically deals with older patients. Your can also partake in in-home services as well as working for a nursing home. With a nursing degree though you can generally work anywhere a nurse is needed. []

**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿Colleges that Offer a Degree in this Field ** The school's that offer this career are schools that I am working my life around to attend. Keiser University first of all for an Associates Degree in Nursing. After that, to get a Geriatrics degree you can attend Kaplan University's online to complete the course to certify you for working in the Gereontology field.

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**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿My Interest in Geriatric Nursing ** For a while I took care of my grandfather. He was a patient who suffered from type II Diabetes, Symptomatic Diagnosed Alheimerz, and Congestive Heart Failure. My "Papa" didn't really listen to anybody but me. In my time with him I learned how to balance accurate measures of medications, administer insulin, patient diet control, and I also learned about the cognative processes of a memory that was deteriorating away. Also for suffering with Congestive Heart Faliure, I learned about the structure and functions of the heart early. While caring for my grandfather I learned that no matter what I wanted to do I surely did know that I wanted to help people. Just recently though I changed my field of nuring to Geriatrics. I feel that if I was old, or when I get old, I want someone to be studying in this field so if I need it, they can help me. When my grandfather passed away I was devistated and I know how that pain is, watching someone you love whither away; it's awful. I want to be that nurse that helps someone get through that.



**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Interview with a Geriatric Nurse ** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿When it came to finding a Geriatric nurse, I had a bit of trouble tracking one down. However I found a Director of Nursing in a nursing home, who is the big boss of the Geriatric nurses in her facility. I found Lita Pacia RN, BSN. I went to a nursing home that my grandfather attended Anchor Care and Rehab Center. I chose to ask her about her life as a nurse and she gave me a warming smile. When I asked her about the positives she gave me just about everything in the book. She said, "you learn every day and seeing the reassuring smiles of your patients is the best thing of all." The negitives though are what someone who works manually would say. "With the changes in health care, there's more paperwork to be done so there is less time with the patients personally." She makes an easy living because of the lifestyle she chooses to live by making around the mid 80 thousand dollars a year. She has to renew her nursing license every 2 years and has to stay on top of her Certification of Educational Units (CEU) every 4 years. She said if she had to go back to school she would persure the career she dreamed of before being persuaded to be a nurse, a Chemical Engineer. She stated though that the career she lives is nothing short of rewarding every single day. She ecpressed great emotion when she said she loses a patient. It effects her greatly. She says her inpiration was from her aunt. When living in the Phillipines she wanted to be a Chemical Engineer, but her aunt, a woman she respected greatly, told her that she should be a nurse and go to America where she was needed.