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?