How can I become a gerontologist?
Many career is available in the field of gerontology and a person who is interested in this area of work should consider them before training to become a gerontologist. Gerontologists can be healthcare providers, social workers, scientists or administrative support staff and each career requires very different training and different career development track. In general, higher education is strongly recommended for a person who wants to become a gerontologist, and this may be necessary for some areas.
In the field of healthcare, a gerontologist focuses on the care of older patients. A doctor who wants to become a gerontologist would have to continue the residence of internal medicine and follow the community in geriatrics or gerontological medicine. This training may take a total of eight years or more, including the Faculty of Medicine, and provides doctors a number of skills to help with older patients. Nurse, technicians and other members of the health profession can also carry out other training in GeronTology to work in nursing homes or the gerontology department.
Social workers who focus on working with older adults can strive for the title of social work and watch it with further training in gerontology. Some universities offer master's degrees in this area to prepare social workers. A social worker who wants to become a gerontologist after already working in the field will need further training to focus on the needs of older adults. This training may include learning about health care and financial issues that are unique to the elderly, as well as discussions on how to treat adults who have cognitive deficits that could disrupt their decision -making capacity.
scientists in a gerontological study study aging in general and do not work directly with older adults, with the exception of study entities. The person whoHe is interested in career in gerontology can study a university degree in the field such as sociology, and follow it with a postgraduate title in gerontology. To become a gerontologist with a research career, it may be necessary to obtain a doctoral title in the field of sociology or related areas, focusing on aging.
administratively, gerontologists are working on supporting the goals of nursing facilities and other organizations. They can organize actions, benefits and public reach for older adults. Administrative gerontologists could only be able to work with a university degree, although for some jobs it may be a useful title of postgraduate studies. This work requires knowledge of the problems that older adults face, and the ability to adapt community programs and events to meet their needs.