Many people in the nursing profession believe there is a significant shortage of gerontological nurses. This finding is surprising given that the National Institute on Health reports a “gerontological explosion” of older adults in the United States and around the world. Gerontological nursing is an area of basic nursing education that is frequently overlooked. We will look at the reasons why gerontological nursing is an underserved area of practice in this discussion topic.

Draft a response to the following questions after reading and viewing the required instructional materials:
1. What does it mean to you to be a “gerontological nurse”?
2. Why do you believe there are so few students interested in gerontological nursing as a specialty?
3. What would pique your interest in this field of nursing?
4. What is the connection between A Profile of Older Americans: 2016 and the American Nurses Association Standards and Scope of Practice Nursing?

Before you can view and respond to colleagues, you must first post your initial post, which must include at least two (2) references as well as examples from your personal experiences to supplement the topic. The goal is to make your post interesting and engaging so that others will read and respond to it. Synthesize and summarize from your sources to avoid using direct quotes, which can be dry and boring. Direct quotes are not permitted in discussion board posts.

References:

Initial Post: A total of two (2) references, one (1) from required course materials and one (1) from peer-reviewed sources.
Word Count Restrictions

Initial Post: 200 words or less, excluding references (approximately one (1) page)