training requirements??

Hello Cyrstal,

I used to be a nurses aid in nursing homes until I got my BSN and have been working the last four years on a geripsych unit in the hospital. I am sure that you know that the geriatric population is the fastest growing population and so in almost any area (generally not L&D...:-)) you might have patients in this age group. Having worked with this population for more than 11 years I will say that you need to be aware of the physiological changes and how that effects assessment, medications and disease processes. You also want to know about med interactions because it seems like the older they get, the more medicines they are on. Also, be "up" on psychotropics and what the state laws are in your area for inpatient and for LTC as that is a major issue. Also, know about death and dying grief/bereavement as these folks are losing friends fast and if they are old enough many of them have lost children which I think is the worst, not to mention spouses and siblings. I think that the main areas you will find this population is in LTC, assisted living, geriatric units such as geripsych and ortho (unsure of statistics but they seem to break a lot of bones...)and last but not least med surg treating their chronic conditions that exacerbate. There is a lot more to this wonderful group but this is a short version! Hope it helps!

Crystal, I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. I have worked geriatrics as a floor nurse and MDS/PPS/IAD, so feel free to e-mail me.