Become a Geriatric Nurse

Geriatric nurses are in demand
with the aging baby boomer
population.

Geriatric nurses care for the elderly, focusing on the development and implementation of treatment plans for chronic illnesses, including diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disorders and others. Their job also involves another important component—educating, supporting and counseling families of elderly patients who suffer from acute and chronic conditions.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reports that 36 million Americans are over age 65. Additionally, 63 percent of newly licensed nurses state that older patients make up the majority of their patient load. With that news, geriatric nurses can anticipate strong job opportunities in clinical practice as well as in research, administration, consulting and education.

Geriatric Nursing Career Overview

Geriatric nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and community health centers where they provide care, compassion and friendship to their patients. In addition, geriatric nurses deliver in-home treatment to patients who require regular medical assistance but can care for themselves predominantly on their own.

The following duties are typical responsibilities of a geriatric nurse:

• Assisting physicians during exams and procedures
• Performing patient medical tests in-home or in a medical office
• Establishing a patient care plan and setting health goals
• Administering medications to patients based on a care plan
• Teaching family members about a patient's condition and how to promote self-care skills

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.

Geriatric Nurse Education

Geriatric nurses are registered nurses who have completed specialized training or certification in geriatric care or an advanced gerontological nursing degree.

Graduates can start their geriatric nursing career with a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. To help you advance to higher levels of practice, nursing schools offer Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees and post-master's programs for clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) looking to focus their career on gerontological care.

In general, MSN degrees take two years to complete. And tuition for these programs ranges from $25,000 to $40,000, depending on the school you choose and whether it is a private or public nursing school.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers three main categories of certification for geriatric nurses, one for RNs and two for advanced practice nurses (APNs). To qualify for certification, nurses must hold a current, active RN license, have graduated from an accredited nursing school program and meet specific experience criteria:

• Gerontological Nurse Specialist—requires two years of practice as an RN, with 2,000 hours of practice and 30 hours of continuing education in gerontological nursing in the last three years.
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• Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing—requires that your CNS in gerontology program included 500 hours of faculty-supervised clinical practice and course work in advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology and advanced pathophysiology.
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• Gerontological Nurse Practitioner—requires that your gerontological NP program included 500 hours of faculty-supervised clinical practice and course work in: advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology and advanced pathophysiology, plus training across the life span in health promotion, disease prevention, differential diagnosis and disease management.

Geriatric Nurse 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.

Geriatric Nursing Career Outlook

The AACN reports that by the year 2030, nearly 20 percent of Americans will be age 65 and over. 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.

Taking these statistics into consideration, geriatric nursing careers will expand significantly over the coming decades. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that registered nurses (RNs) 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, respectively.

A geriatric nursing career provides the long-term job growth and meaningful rewards so many aspiring nurses seek. With the increasing number of older patients in the country, there will be continuing high demand for the medical expertise as well as personal and professional commitment and friendship of dedicated geriatric nurses.

Sources
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2004
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009
Nurse Week, 2004
American Nurses Association, 2009
American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2009