Geriatric Nurse: Expert Insights and Career Guidance

In the United States, individuals over 65+ represented 17.3% of the population in 2022. By 2040, that population is expected to grow to 22%.¹ In 2024, a record 4.1 million Americans reached the retirement milestone of 65, the most significant surge in U.S. history. This trend is projected to continue through at least 2027.²

As the demand for healthcare increases, so does the need for nurses and other healthcare practitioners trained to care for an aging population—a specialty known as geriatrics. Geriatric careers range from physicians to social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and geriatric nurses.³ Let’s review geriatric nursing: What the job entails, the types of opportunities available and the steps to become a geriatric nurse.

What Is a Geriatric Nurse?

A geriatric nurse, also known as a gerontological nurse, is a registered nurse (RN) trained to address common health situations that older adults face. Geriatric nursing typically requires expertise in interprofessional team collaboration, given that more than half of older Americans are managing two or more chronic conditions that may require treatment across healthcare disciplines.³

What Is the Field of Geriatrics?

Merriam-Webster defines geriatrics as “a branch of medicine that deals with the problems and diseases of old age and the medical care and treatment of aging people.”⁴ The field of gerontology focuses on the aging process, examining the social, physical and mental changes that occur as people age.⁵

What Does a Geriatric Nurse Do?

Because the needs of older patients vary from person to person, geriatric nurse responsibilities cover a broad range of tasks that may go beyond traditional nursing duties.⁶

• Health assessment
  • Assessing common geriatric health issues, such as dementia, fall risks, incontinence and insomnia
  • Assisting doctors with physical exams and tracking the patient’s cognitive function and mental health
  • Monitoring the patient’s ongoing ability to perform routine self-care and daily activities
  • Taking the patient’s history and vital signs for documentation in medical records
• Patient care
  • Managing and administering medications; if trained as a nurse practitioner (NP), prescribing certain medications
  • Creating and supervising care plans
  • Assisting with exercise and physical therapy
  • Supporting basic needs such as eating, bathing and dressing
  • Encouraging the patient’s independence in completing daily tasks
• Patient advocacy
  • Teaching the patient and family about diagnosed health conditions, strategies for continued self-care and best practices for staying active and healthy
  • Collaborating and coordinating with other healthcare team members to provide comprehensive care
  • Addressing palliative and end-of-life care planning with the patient and loved ones
  • Observing for signs of elder abuse

Which Patients Need Geriatric Medical Support?

According to the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), there are three potential indicators that a patient could benefit from a trained gerontological nursing processional:⁷

1. “An older person’s condition causes considerable impairment or frailty.” This is common after age 75 or when multiple health conditions are present.
2. Family, friends or other caregivers begin experiencing high levels of stress related to the care of the older individual.
3. The patient or caregivers become overwhelmed managing multiple health issues with different medical professionals.

The AGS clarifies that these indicators are not rules because each patient’s case is unique.

Where Do Geriatric Nurses Work?

Gerontological nursing includes a variety of work environments. Settings for geriatric careers include primary care offices, hospitals, home health services, assisted living communities, senior centers, nursing homes and rehabilitation and long-term care facilities.⁷

Depending on the practice setting, some geriatric nurses may have the chance to specialize further in palliative care, mental health, pain management or orthopedics. Geriatric careers are often interdisciplinary, involving a care team of doctors, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, nutritionists and more.⁸

Geriatric Nurse Salary and Career Outlook

How much do geriatric nurses make? The median geriatric nurse salary is $76,659, on par with the median salary of registered nurses: $86,070.*^{9, 10} Geriatric NPs, meanwhile, earn an average geriatric nurse salary of $107,990, compared to the $109,053 salary of general NPs.*^{11, 12} With an aging population and the ongoing nursing shortage, geriatric nurse jobs are available.

Earning a nursing role specialty or certification in gerontology or a related specialty can increase the potential for a higher geriatric nurse salary.

How to Become a Geriatric Nurse in the U.S.

How long does it take to become a geriatric nurse? Like other nursing specialties, such as pediatrics and public health, the path to geriatric careers begins with nursing school. Earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Next, pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) NCLEX-RN and meet additional state licensing requirements to become a licensed RN.

Continuing your education and completing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) can also improve your chances for career growth.

Several organizations offer gerontology certifications that enhance your expertise in the field. Nurses pursuing geriatric careers in healthcare must have a current, active RN license, have completed continuing education courses in this specialty and satisfy clinical experience requirements to be eligible for certification. Find out more about the options:

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • Gerontological Nursing Certification (GERO-BC)¹³
  • Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification (AGCNS-BC)¹⁴
  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification (AGACNP-BC)¹⁵
  • Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certification¹⁶
• Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA)
  • Gerontological Specialist – Certified (GS-C) ¹⁷

As the percentage of the American population over age 65 continues to rise, geriatric careers in nursing enable you to meet the growing demand—and help aging adults live longer and healthier lives.

Want to know more about our nursing programs?

Program InformationRequest Information

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Post-Graduate Nursing Certificates designed for working nurses. Our degrees are offered online, with optional on-campus immersions.** Role specialties include Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)*** and Nurse Executive. The MSN and DNP have options to accelerate your time to degree completion.**** Earn your advanced nursing degree while keeping your work and life in balance.

*The information provided on this website is based on self-reported data and is intended for general informational purposes only. PayScale is a limited data source that relies on voluntary submissions from individuals and employers. Please be aware that the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the data may vary due to its voluntary nature and limited scope. While efforts are made to maintain the data’s accuracy, we cannot guarantee its absolute correctness or currency.

**The FNP role specialty includes one required hands-on clinical intensive as part of the curriculum.

***The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner role specialty is not available for the DNP program.

****Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress, traditional vs. accelerated pathway, credits transferred and other factors.

Salary data may not reflect starting pay for recent graduates.

Sources

1. Administration on Aging (AoA), “2023 Profile of Older Americans,” Administration for Community Living (ACL), May 2024, https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Profile%20of%20OA/ACL_ProfileOlderAmericans2023_508.pdf..
2. Rowe, A., “All Successful State Retirement Plans Do These 4 Things,” National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), January 8, 2025, https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/all-successful-state-retirement-plans-do-these-4-things.
3. American Geriatrics Society, “Why Geriatrics,” AGS, accessed January 2025, https://www.americangeriatrics.org/geriatrics-profession/why-geriatrics.
4. Merriam-Webster, “Geriatric,”Merriam-Webster, accessed January 2025, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geriatric.
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9. PayScale, “Average Registered Nurse (RN) with Geriatrics Skills Hourly Pay,” PayScale.com, accessed January 2025, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Registered_Nurse_(RN)/Hourly_Rate/12064987/Geriatrics.
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “Registered Nurse Occupational Outlook Handbook,” BLS, August 29, 2024, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm#tab-5.
11. PayScale, “Average Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) Salary,” PayScale.com, accessed January 2025, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Adult-Gerontology_Nurse_Practitioner_(AGNP)/Salary.
12. PayScale, “Average Nurse Practitioner (NP) Salary,” PayScale.com, accessed January 2025, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nurse_Practitioner_(NP)/Salary.
13. American Nurses Credentialing Center, “Gerontological Nursing Certification (GERO-BC™),” AANC, accessed January 2025, https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/gerontological-nurse/.
14. American Nurses Credentialing Center, “Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification (AGCNS-BC™),” AANC, accessed January 2025, https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/adult-gerontology-clinical-nurse-specialist/.
15. American Nurses Credentialing Center, “Adult-Gerontology ACUTE Care Nurse Practitioner Certification (AGACNP-BC®),” AANC, accessed January 2025, https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/adult-gerontology-acute-care-nurse-practitioner/.
16. American Nurses Credentialing Center, “Adult-Gerontology PRIMARY Care Nurse Practitioner Certification (AGPCNP-BC®),” AANC, accessed January 2025, https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/adult-gerontology-primary-care-nurse-practitioner/.
17. Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, “Certification,” GAPNA, accessed January 2025, https://www.gapna.org/certification.