Postgraduate degree programs in the nursing ecosystem are as competent as any other field but are a gateway to a more promising career. When you upgrade your degree to MSN or become an NP, you open more opportunities. But these roles come with more responsibility and ask for more personal commitment to your profession.
Many nurses go for higher studies to earn more respect in their workplace, gain more skills and experience, and educate themselves for providing services using advanced techniques. One such specialization after an NP program is Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners (AGACNPs). Nurses that opt for geriatric subspecialty are trained to handle adult patients suffering through the various outcomes of aging.
It is often said that you grow to become more like your childhood version. That is why older people need more attention, care, assistance, and guidance. They need to know what to eat, when to take their medicines, and the ideal routine for their sleep.
For all these assistances, they may need a professional health care practitioner. Here is where Nurse practitioners specializing in gerontology come into the picture.
Enroll in an MSN AGACNP program: The Simplest Way Possible
An MSN specializing in adult-gerontology acute care holds a lot of scopes these days. Many RNs and nurses with a BSN degree consider it a career option. An MSN AGACNP program will prepare you to handle complex on-field circumstances, diagnose an immediate health condition, decide and order relevant diagnostic tests, and choose an adequate treatment plan keeping in view the situation of adult patients.
There are three portals to go for a specialty in gerontology in nursing. These are RN to MSN and then certifications for NP, BSN to AGACNP master’s degree, or opting for it after MSN. If you already have a specialization in this department but struggle to achieve patient satisfaction, here are some things that can make you excel as an AGACNP.
Show Patience And Persistence
Dealing with adults can be challenging due to their stubborn behavior. They will likely refuse medication, even if it favors their wellbeing. However, as a nurse practitioner, you’ll need to give them time and understand that aging brings a lot of changes to a person’s personality. It’s important to pay attention to your primary goal to collaborate with the elderly and make sure that they enjoy the best quality of life. Though you shouldn’t show negligence in their treatment but keeping them happy must be the purpose of your care.
Implementing rules can likely lead to arguments that may induce stress. If there is anything you want them to understand, the optimal way is to talk to them and help them understand why the measure is necessary. Showing patience often helps in this case.
Another skill that you must have as a professional working with older patients is active listening. Elders tend to show frustration with those who do not understand their cues or listen to them properly. Therefore, to excel as a nurse in the gerontology department, make this habit of listening more and speaking only when necessary as it improves your people skills.
Compassion And Concern
Being compassionate and showing concern are the two ideal requisites for nurses working around adults. It is common with most adults to acquire the assistance of a nurse only when they are in a degrading state of health and, thus, they need care with love and compassion. Many chronic diseases may attack and cause an otherwise lively person to become irritated and annoyed in such life stages. But even if they are in the last stages of their life, you should respect their sense of personal pride, embarrassment, and desire for autonomy. Therefore, the best way to cope with them is by showing sympathy, empathy, and respect.
Attention To Minor Details
Adult patients with deteriorating health have weaker immune systems and thus are prone to getting infections earlier than young patients. One of the very prominent professional traits of gerontology nurses is their grip on preventive care. As their medical assistant, you need to be vigilant and keep an eye on each patient’s medical chart and list of complaints so that issues can be handled before they become serious troubles. You should also pay great attention to their hygiene and nutritional intake. Diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and osteoporosis are much more common in older adults due to compromised dietary intake. Thus, food routines should be strictly monitored.
Be Creative And Enthusiastic
It is very likely that when you deal with the same elderly patients over a long team period, you may be devoid of enthusiasm. To overcome it, you should develop effective and creative ways of interacting with your patients. In addition to that, you should use imagination, inventiveness, and original ideas to bring joy to your patients.
People with dementia can be greatly challenging, and therefore they ask for innovative treatment plans. As their medical attendant, you need to stay a step ahead by including a new set of variables in the regular treatment to keep them attached to their care procedures. For instance, many mentally disturbed patients respond well to colors and art, so there is no harm in arranging a short painting session with them. Putting your creativity to work by evaluating a patient’s physical and emotional needs is key to becoming a better gerontology nurse.
Stay Positive And Optimistic
Sometimes optimism means staying positive even if the counter-reality hangs over your head. You should follow the same therapy with your patients. Try to keep your patients as positive as possible and boost their morale. Don’t let the thought of giving false hope stop you from giving them a ray of sunshine. Cater to their emotional needs, tell the positive outcomes their ongoing treatment can bring, and encourage them to cooperate. This trait will help in two ways: a positive attitude will speed up their healing and push them to cooperate with you in the treatment.
Conclusion
As a gerontology nurse, you need to stay active, honest, and sympathetic to your patients. It would be best to understand each of your patients individually and understand their distinctive needs to remove any hurdles in their treatment. Though nurses are seen as trustworthy and compassionate, you need to continue demonstrating these traits to increase patient satisfaction further. Fortunately, the average life expectancy of older adults is increasing from the past years due to advancements in medicine and technology. Therefore, gerontology is becoming a prosperous and rewarding profession. On the wider scope, it gives you a chance to bring smiles to those who think they have no chance to live, is dying, or are on the verge of dying.
