Gerontological Nursing

A career in nursing allows an individual to seek out many opportunities and identify an area or specialty that they feel corresponds with their personality, culture, lifestyle and work ethic. The potential occupations for a nurse are limitless. In this discussion, the phrase gerontological nurse will be identified and what gerontological nursing means to myself will be described. I will go on to explain my view on why so few students prefer gerontological nursing as a specialty. Finally, suggestions on how to increase attention to this area of nursing will be illustrated.
Tabloski, (2013) explains gerontological nurses described themselves as individuals that provide care to the elderly or older aged population; this often takes place in nursing facilities, retirement communities, community-based homecare and an assortment of other venues. When I hear, someone talk about gerontological nurse I automatically think about a nurse caring for patients in a nursing home. I visualize patients who may need assistance performing day to day activities or even just assistance with medication administration due to the aging process. Aging is a progression that every individual face throughout their lifetime and some people may need more support than others.
When entering nursing school most individuals feel the need to help others and provide life-saving care.
This can be achieved through increasing awareness to this specialty of nursing. A study recently completed reviled being involved in the Healthy Aging course amplified students’ attitudes and curiosity in caring for older adults (Parsons, Macdonald, Hajek, & Moody, 2015). Many programs that I have reviewed do not have these programs and this is negatively affecting gerontological nursing. Many individuals do not know what direction they really want to go into until they gain experience and find an area they excel