Answer

  Practice 6: Finalizing the Plan

My selected area of specialty is to be gerontological practitioner; while, the second-preferred area of specialization is nurse anesthetist. Gerontological nursing is the specialty of nursing that focus on older adults (Nurse Practitioner Schools, 2019). In accordance with the American Nursing Association’s (ANA) (2010) gerontological standards of practice, gerontologists should provide the highest quality of care to geriatric patients/ older adults within a given healthcare system. Comparatively, a nurse anesthetist works with podiatrists, dentists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and other professionals to ensure that anesthesia is administered in a safe manner. A nurse anesthetist also ensures that patients stabilize and recover well following a procedure (Nurse Practitioner Schools, 2019). Below is the nursing specialty comparison matrix (Table 1).

Table 1: Nursing Specialty Comparison Matrix

            I am motivated and eager to be a successful gerontolocal nurse practitioner or a geriatric nurse since I have passion in older adults. Common medical needs include hygiene assistance, pain relief, routine assessments, and treatments. My other important roles would be disease prevention and conduction of patient education (Nurse Journal. (2019_a). I am hesitant to become a nurse anesthetist since their high risk to be sued in the court of law. Regardless, it is relatively high paying than geriatric nursing (Nurse Journal, 2019_b).

            Gerontological nurse practitioners work in different environments and that exactly what I want since I like flexibility in work (Nurse Journal, 2019_b). I will be in liberty to choose where I will be working. It could be geriatric units in hospitals, nursing homes, private homes, and/or specifically senior oriented facilities (Nurse Journal, 2019_a).

            The specialty is promising into the foreseeable future. United States is experiencing rising number of older patients and shortage of nurses in this level throughout the country (Nurse Journal, 2019_b). It is projected that there will be eight million individuals aged 65 years and more by 2025 in the United States. All this population will be in need to geriatric care services (Schneidereith & Daniels, 2019). Geriatric nurses are preferred they are qualified to care older adults. in addition, are preferred since they provide a cost-effective workforce that may help healthcare systems (Schneidereith  & Daniels, 2019).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

            There are several professional organizations related to geriatric nursing profession (Nurse Journal, 2019_a). A geriatric nurse should first be registered as a Registered Nurse; implying that her/she must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. To qualify I should first complete at least 200 hours on hands-on experience in the field of care. Secondly, I have to qualify the certification exam known as the Gerontological Nursing Certification exam, which is offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Nurse Journal, 2019_b). Professional Associations for Gerontology nurses include the National Association for Professional Gerontologitsts (NAPG), American Society on Aging (ASA), Gerontology Society of America (AGS), and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) (Best Value Schools, 2019).

            NAPG is the authoritative organization for credentialing gerontologists. Credentialing process validates professional experience and academic performance before one becomes a NAPG member. A gerontologist must be competent in one of the five levels including student, scholar/professional affiliate, certificate/associate gerontological coordinator, gerontological specialists/baccalaureate or gerontologist/graduate. NAPG also promotes standards for professional discipline, which helps to improve credibility of its members. In addition, NAPG offers various continuing education classes for professional development (Best Schools, 2019). As a member of the NAPG is should remain within the scope and maintain the standards for practice for gerontological nurses. This include being aware about legislative, regulatory and other legal issues that pertains to my professions. The standards include standard for practice and standards for professional performance (ANA, 2010).  

On the other hand, ASA is diverse association whose members may include researchers, students, administrators, policymakers, educators and owners of associated businesses. Similarly, AGS has a diverse set of members including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physician assistants, and social workers/ AGS aims to promote the study of geriatrics. NCOA is a non-profit organization that helps people who are 60 years and over (Best Schools, 2019). Professional development is a life-long process that is facilitated by professional organizations. I ought to join all the above mentioned professional organizations since it provides nurses with continuing education, role-related competencies, certification opportunities, and education conferences (Schneider, 2015).