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Opportunities in Elderly Care NursingElderly care nursing is a specialized field of health care that caters to the treatment of elderly people. The elderly have distinctive needs and health care requirements that demand the services of nurses who are uniquely qualified to provide health care services to them. RNs and LPNs who choose to pursue geriatric nursing can provide themselves with a stable and rewarding career. Elderly care nursing does have certain challenges when compared to most other fields of nursing. Mostly, you will be treating aging patients who will be suffering from decreasing mental capabilities that may result in you having to make difficult decisions regarding their independence and livelihood. Physically, elderly patients don't respond to certain treatments as rapidly and strongly as younger patients. And of course in extreme cases you will have to deal with patients' deaths and their grieving families, so this field does require a strong emotional aptitude to handle these unfortunate circumstances.
But despite these drawbacks, elderly care nursing is a strong and rewarding field to be involved in. The employment outlook is very strong as the population continues to age, so geriatric nurses will be in high demand for a long time to come. To practice as a qualified geriatric nurse, you must receive certification from an accredited geriatric nursing program. You can find these programs throughout the country, and a good resource to find available programs online is GeriatricNursingCertification.com. Geriatric certification training will have emphasis on the areas of anatomy, physiology, and pathology as it relates to the elderly and the types of illnesses and diseases that are commonly associated with them. There will also be focus on the biology and process of aging so you have a better comprehension of what your potential patients are going through and how the aging process affects them. Also, training geared towards elderly care will involve health law, ethics, and relationships with patients and their families particularly in a time of grieving. You'll also touch on health care administration, including information systems and performance systems, which can come in handy for career advancement in this field. To finalize the process, you'll need to pass an exam with the American Nurses Credentialing Center, after which you be awarded both certification in geriatric nursing and status as a Board Certified Registered Nurse. Once you do become certified, a whole new branch of career opportunities will open up to you. As a registered nurse with geriatric certification, you gain a competitive advantage of most other RNs when it comes to career choices and the ability to command a higher salary. If you are used to working in a hospital, you can now consider working in additional places such as nursing homes, assisted living homes, long term care facilities, hospices and even private residences. As you gain more experience you can even move into more of an administrative or supervisory role, further advancing your career and raising your salary. There are a variety of elderly care nursing settings and opportunities that can provide you with a full and rewarding career should you decide to pursue certification in geriatric nursing. Other Career Paths to Consider: |
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