How to Become a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner?

Updated on December 6, 2021

Becoming a gerontological nurse practitioner is not a walk in the park. You will need to take the bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then take the master’s degree to specialize in the gerontology field. Next, you will need to build the experience as a supervised clinical nurse. You will also need to pass the certification test before you can become a gerontological nurse practitioner.

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It’s best for you to take the nurse practitioner courses from Lecturio to get yourself prepared to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. With Lecturio, understanding all the aspects related to becoming a gerontological nurse practitioner will be a breeze. This platform offers easy-to-understand courses that will give you plenty of new insights, which you might not get from your formal education. 

Here are some steps you need to take to become a gerontological nurse practitioner:

  1. Earn the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing

The first step you need to take to become a gerontological nurse practitioner is to earn your bachelor’s degree in nursing. Becoming a gerontological nurse practitioner is a specialization you will need to take after becoming a registered nurse. 

To become a registered nurse, you will need to go through the formal undergraduate education in nursing and earn your bachelor’s degree there. Earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing will give you the basic knowledge of how to become a nurse, which will also give you plenty of opportunities for many nursing jobs.

  1. Become a Registered Nurse

The next step you need to take after earning your bachelor’s degree in nursing is to become a registered nurse. It’s important for you to get registered as a nurse, so that you can work at a healthcare facility, doctor’s office, or hospital and apply your nursing skills to treat the patients there. It will help you with building your experience as a nurse, and it will also help you pave the way to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. 

Remember, you need to become a registered nurse first if you want to get a nursing job and treat actual patients with your nursing skills.

  1. Get Your Experience in the Geriatric Field

Gerontology is a field in healthcare, which allows you to treat and care for senior patients. Most of your patients will be senior citizens who have certain health conditions you will need to treat. So, it will be very important for you to get as much experience as possible in treating and nursing the senior citizens if you plan on becoming a gerontological nurse practitioner. 

Thus, you will need to get a nursing job in the geriatric field at least for a few years. The geriatric field will get you in touch with senior patients that have certain health conditions you need to treat. This will help build your experience in handling the type of patients you will need to deal with as a gerontological nurse practitioner later. 

  1. Earn the Master’s Degree in Nursing

The next important thing you need to do to become a gerontological nurse practitioner is to earn your master’s degree in nursing, so you will need to go through another formal education to take specialization for your nursing education. This is the path that will lead you to become a gerontological nurse practitioner later.

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You will need to go through your master’s degree education for a few years, so you can be eligible to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. Remember, it’s important for you to maintain good grades for your education, as it will show your quality as a gerontological nurse later.

  1. Apply for the Gerontological Certification

After completing your master’s degree in nursing, you will need to apply for the certification to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. Applying for the certification will require quite some time and preparations on your part. 

You will need to take some tests that will prove your worth as a gerontological practitioner. Also, you will need to have at least 500 hours of supervised clinical experience to pass the certification. This is the reason you will need to build as much experience as possible in treating the senior patients.

Conclusion

You will need to follow these steps to become a gerontological nurse practitioner. It might take years for you to achieve this goal, but when you get there, you can get plenty of job opportunities in various healthcare facilities. You will be eligible to treat senior citizens as a certified gerontological nurse practitioner and help them get better and healthier, while contributing more to your community. 

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