The elderly require top-notch care. That has always been the case, and recent years have only highlighted the importance of geriatric medicine’s need for excellence. It plays a crucial role in the healthcare industry, and geriatric nurses are the force behind the delivery of care for seniors.
Elderly caregiving is incredibly fulfilling on a personal and professional level, whether it is a lifetime vocation or just a season in a nurse’s career. Your nursing abilities will advance due to working with patients with complex medical requirements. Furthermore, elderly nursing offers the chance to improve the lives of patients who require compassionate care now more than ever.
Here are four signs geriatric nursing is right for you.
You Are Patient, Compassionate, and Empathetic
To assist their patients in navigating the difficulties of aging, geriatric nurses must possess an abundant supply of tolerance, compassion, and empathy. It is crucial to understand verbal and nonverbal cues to communicate effectively with patients who may have lost some speech skills.
Geriatric nurses must be ready to empathize with patients who are upset about their physical deterioration and may be resistant or even hostile toward caregivers. If you’re looking to become a geriatric nurse, NeuralEffects.com can help you learn more about therapy for patients with dementia.
Beyond those difficulties, though, lies the chance to build enduring relationships with patients, attend to their complex needs, and advance professionally and personally.
You Are Physically and Mentally Strong
The duties and obligations of geriatric nurses can be very mentally and physically exhausting. Helping patients perform daily activities frequently involves physically supporting them, like lifting.
Many patients need physical assistance with tasks like showering or dressing, and it is necessary to turn patients in bed to avoid pressure ulcers (bedsores) from developing. A geriatric nurse’s duties include acting as a second pair of arms and legs for patients with trouble moving or coordinating.
In addition to attending to their patients’ physical requirements, geriatric nurses also consider their mental and emotional health. They must be friends with geriatric patients and show compassion and understanding, particularly for those who spend most of their time alone. Geriatric nurses must be able to spot signs of stress in their patients, so they need to remain upbeat even in potentially trying situations.
You Can Advocate for Patients
Some patients may have declining mental capacities that make it difficult to make health decisions and treatment decisions. Here, a geriatric nurse may serve as a patient advocate and bring in the patient’s family in discussions with the health care personnel involved. The geriatric nurse can offer suggestions and direction to patients and their families.
You Have the Necessary Academic and Certification Qualifications
The first stage to becoming a geriatric nurse is to graduate from an accredited nursing program. Most professions require a bachelor of science in nursing; however, some are open to people with an associate degree in nursing, an associate of science in nursing, or an associate of applied science in nursing.
After receiving your nursing degree, you need to take The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, which the National Council provides for State Boards of Nursing. When you pass this exam, you become a Registered Nurse.
Before concentrating on a specialty field like gerontology, it is preferable and frequently necessary to acquire practical nursing experience. Several hospitals demand at least two years of bedside nursing before switching to geriatrics.
As a registered nurse, you can acquire gerontological nursing certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Like any other specialization, geriatric nursing is not for everyone. It can be ideal for you if you believe that a person’s latter years deserve the same respect as their early ones. The future of nursing for the elderly is promising. More nurses will be required to offer competent nursing care as the population ages and more people move into elder care facilities.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. If housing is an issue, we have you covered with our housing page. You can search for what you are looking for.
