Geriatric Nursing Careers: In With the Old
Aging world populations leads to nursing career opportunity explosions for specializations that treat the elderly.
While critical nursing shortages are causing an increased demand for trained, educated and experienced nurses, some fields will have significantly more career opportunities for registered nurses (RNs) than others.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1 (BLS) reports that more than 613,000 jobs have been created or vacated in the health care sector since the recession began. Nurses also make up the largest core of the health care profession, with 2.6 million jobs. As of 2009, the median RN salary was $63,750, according to BLS1, with specialized nurses in critical positions making two or more times as much.
Additionally, as the average American gets older, the nursing profession will experience a two-fold impact: older nurses will begin to retire, leaving vacancies, and there will be more elderly patients to care for in the health care system. In fact, the World Health Organization2 reports that 2 billion people age 60 years and older will require care by the year 2050.
As a result, the most career growth will be seen in the fields of nursing that interact with the elderly, either directly or indirectly. Gerontology nurses, the people who care directly and only for the elderly, will experience shortages. Home health care nurses, who treat patients after they have left the hospital, will also experience an upswing in demand, as will hospice nurses, who care for the dying. There will also be a greater need for nurses who work in residential care and nursing homes.
Careers that have an impact on the elderly population will likewise experience massive demand. Since the elderly have a greater chance of being affected by diseases and injuries, nurses who specialize in these areas will be needed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the elderly are most likely to be afflicted with heart diseases, cancer, brain diseases and diabetes3. Therefore, professions like cardiovascular nurses, who treat patients with heart disease and victims of heart attacks; oncology nurses, who care for and treat cancer patients; Alzheimer’s nurses; respiratory and diabetes management nurses will also experience an increase in demand.
To take advantage of these career opportunities, geriatric nurses must be properly educated in health care, home care, communications and leadership principles. While RNs with their Associate of Nursing (ADN) can assist geriatric nurses, those best equipped for a career in geriatric nursing will be RNs with extensive experience and training. This requires at least a bachelor’s in nursing (BSN). Many geriatric careers require an advanced nursing degree, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Resources:
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, accessed August 31, 2010, http://www.bls.gov/oco/.
2 “World Health Organization launches new initiative to address the health needs of a rapidly ageing population,” World Health Organization, accessed August 31, 2010, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2004/pr60/en/index.html.
3 “Older Persons’ Health,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed August 31, 2010, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/older_americans.htm.