Adult Gerontology – Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Careers

Improve health outcomes for adult patients facing serious threats to their health.

Adult gerontology – acute care nurse practitioners (AGACNPs) are committed to delivering optimal care to patients ranging from adolescents to seniors who are ‘physiologically unstable, technologically dependent and/or are highly vulnerable to complications. The AGACNP is qualified to make sudden, life-altering decisions that are in the best interest of patients, making it a challenging, yet rewarding, career path.

While most AGACNPs report practicing in tertiary care settings such as hospital emergency rooms and critical care units, they can now work in specialty clinics and long-term care facilities. The AGACNP role also extends beyond clinical practice, including elements of administration education and research.

AGACNPs are in demand.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reports that as of May 2021, there were 325,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S., however only an estimated 2.9% of NPs are educated and certified as AGACNPs.

The National Center for Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) reported an estimated 20,000 primary care physician shortfall by 2025. In light of the growing shortage of physicians across the country and as a large population of baby boomers age, adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners (AGACNPs) are essential to filling a vital role in today’s acute care landscape.

Able to deliver acute and care services to a wide range of patients, AGACNPs will continue to be in high demand – particularly throughout the pandemic, as they are well-equipped to diagnose and treat sudden and serious threats facing a patient’s health.

Average AGACNP Salary: $96,063*

*Payscale.com

AGACNP responsibilities include:

Long-term evaluation/management of patients with acute and chronic health care problems
Operating life support systems
Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests
Prescribing medication for acutely and chronically ill patients*
Patient and family counseling
Assessing patient responses to drugs and other ancillary treatments
Creating effective care plans based on all relevant data and test results
Serving as a patient advocate
Providing intensive therapy

*An NPs’ authority to write prescriptions is granted on a state-by-state basis.

Common practice settings include:

Emergency rooms
Trauma centers
Surgical units
Intensive care unit hospital settings
Urgent care centers
Ambulatory or outpatient care facilities
Rehabilitative care units
Hospice or palliative care services
Community-based environments

Did You Know?*

The top clinical focus areas of NPs certified in adult-gerontology acute care are critical care, cardiovascular and hospitalist.
The top practice settings of NPs certified in adult-gerontology acute care are hospital inpatient units and hospital outpatient clinics.
The top diagnoses treated by AGACNPs are hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes.

*AANP