In the United States, the nurse practitioner role tops the list of the most popular healthcare jobs out there. These advanced practice nurses have more job autonomy than many other nursing professionals, they benefit from a higher wage, and the employment outlook for the foreseeable future is positive. Before embarking on your journey to become a nurse practitioner, you must decide which specialty to focus on. Adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners (AGPCNPs) provide continuous care to adults in later life to the end of life. With the adult population aging, specializing in adult gerontology is a smart choice for prospective nurse practitioners. Here are a few reasons why you should become an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner.
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Meaningful Work
As you already know, a good nurse should possess an intuitive nature to look after and care for others. They are compassionate, critical thinkers who can pay attention to minor details and make effective healthcare and medical decisions. In addition to this, older adult populations have unique needs due to the age-related changes. They are more likely to develop multiple conditions at once, meaning AGCNPs need to be able to identify different conditions to treat patients effectively. An important duty of an AGPCNP is to counsel patients and teach them about disease prevention and staying healthy. As an AGPCNPs, you work with older adults over an extended period, which means you can develop meaningful connections with your patients and the relatives who are always around, looking after them daily.
Natural Next Step for Registered Nurses
Qualifying as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner is a natural next step for registered nurses with experience working with older populations. You can take this next step by enrolling in a relevant advanced-level degree program, such as the online MSN-AGPCNP program from the University of Indianapolis. Registered nurses with relevant requirements, such as a BSN and unencumbered RN license, can study this online degree program to understand adult-gerontology primary care better.
Aging Population
Nurse practitioners are always going to be in demand, as healthcare is an essential part of society, and as the population ages, the demand for nurses to care for older patients will likely grow as well. The number of adults over the age of 65 is expected to double by 2040, which means that more nurses will be needed to care for people who develop multiple and complex care needs that come with age.
Plenty of Work Opportunities
Although common work settings for adult gerontology nurse practitioners include inpatient and outpatient facilities in hospitals, AGPCNPs also have the opportunity to work in many other environments, such as in private practice, clinics, educational care centers, and doctors’ offices. With this specialty under their belt, nurse professionals can branch out in education, research, or even as case managers for different types of institutions. It is a very varied role, and no two days ever feel the same, no matter what area one chooses to work in.
