Geriatric Nurses

You can explore your interest in nursing and in working with older people in a number of ways. Read books and visit Web sites that deal with the nursing profession. Visit https://nursing.jnj.com to learn more about education and careers in nursing. Ask your school's career services office to help you arrange an information interview with a local nurse. Your school nurse is also someone to consult about the profession and the education required for it. Many hospitals have volunteer programs that provide the opportunity to work during the summer or on a part-time basis, escorting patients to tests, delivering flowers to patients' rooms, and doing other helpful tasks. Volunteering at a hospital will give you a lot of insight as to how hospitals work and how well you like this environment.

Organizations such as Learning for Life (https://www.exploring.org/health-care), which is affiliated with Scouting America, offer programs that allow young people to explore health care careers. SkillsUSA (http://www.skillsusa.org) is a national membership organization for middle school, high school, and college students who are interested in pursuing careers in skilled service, technical, and trade careers. It offers competitions that allow young people to test their skills against others. Past contests of interest to aspiring nurses included Basic Health Care Skills, First Aid/CPR, Health Knowledge Bowl, Medical Math, Medical Terminology, Nurse Assisting, and Practical Nursing.

To explore how much you enjoy working with older people, volunteer at a senior center, where you may be able to sit in on a card game or teach a crafts project. Volunteer positions as well as part-time or summer jobs also may be available at a nursing home in your area. Use any opportunity you can to visit with older people in your community. You will learn a lot from being around them, and they may be just as eager to learn something from you.