Gerontological nurse practitioners: implications for the future

Advanced practice nurse preparation should be focusing on the "person" rather than the "place." The major obstacles outlined previously in this article in advancing the critical role gerontological nursing has to offer in the 21st century continue to exist, including the decreased number of graduates choosing gerontological nursing as a specialty of choice. Nursing cannot afford to wait for enrollments to change. As nurses, we must actively "infiltrate and teach gerontological nursing in other specialties" (Futrell, 2002, pp. 188-189) if we are to address the health care needs for this rapidly growing population.