Geriatrician Career
Geriatrician Career
The Real Poop
"I'm old enough to do whatever I want, say whatever I want, and smell like whatever I want." – Quoted by Anonymous Old Woman.
See, the thing about getting old is that you've officially put up with enough baloney in the world to no longer have to abide by its societal rules (and you get to use the word baloney as an insult). That's why people feel obligated to let an old man take the last motorized scooter even if they saw him sprint across the parking lot to get it. It's, like, one of the biggest perks of being old.
And let's face it: making it past sixty-five years is a pretty great achievement. Elderly folks have seen history, they have stories, and most importantly, they've helped America run.
They also have a greater need for medical care, and not just from the garden variety get 'em in, cut 'em up, and sew 'em up doctors, but doctors who are extra concerned with treating the elderly. We call those noble heroes geriatricians.
A geriatrician is focused on taking care of patients sixty-five years and older. They may work in a hospital, a nursing home, a clinic, or run their own private practice. Even though where they work might be flexible, we'll be straight up with you: it's one of the lowest paid positions out of all the medical specialties, with a median salary of $185,000 (source).
But look on the bright side. With that salary you can definitely count yourself as one of America's privileged…or at least you will be, once you pay back your student loans. If you plan on being a geriatrician, you'll stay in school a little bit longer than a general practitioner and you know what that means—mo' dough to dish out.
As a geriatrician you'll have several choices regarding the environment you want to work in. Maybe the fast pace of a hospital floats your boat. Or maybe you want to set your own hours and run a private practice. Maybe you like the taste of tapioca pudding and think that you'd be a great fit at a nursing home. Your hours might be long at a hospital, or you could be working on and off every week as you rotate with other geriatricians at a particular long-term care facility.
Not to throw shade on other medical professions, but a geriatrician is especially focused on the long-term health of their patients. They not only prescribe medicine and recommend operations but also create a plan that will help to foster a longer life for their patient.
You know how when you go to the doctor's office you get your blood pressure checked, do the eye test, the hammer-to-the-knee thing? Well for geriatricians, in addition to the basic healthcare requirements, they often must assess the psychological and more personal day-to-day issues of a patient. They use that to create an overall plan of attack in addressing their patient's health.
A geriatrician is not only focused on "medicine," but also how a patient can change their physical (like going on more walks), mental, and emotional lifestyles for the better.
Whew. Tired yet? As you'd expect, older patients have a ton of needs to be addressed. That's why they have doctors who specialize in treating them.
The job of a geriatrician isn't for everyone. You need to be able to communicate with patients who may be suffering from dementia, or who are just downright cranky from being pushed around by doctors without seeing any results. This job is all about patience. You'll need to take the time to form a relationship with a patient to gain insight into their medical needs. Remember, you'll be treating their body and mind.
If you're not a people person, you should probably find work elsewhere. This is a job for the extra-perceptive. Sometimes older patients have stressors in their life that can make it difficult for treatments to be effective long-term. Simply put, you need to be prepared to be a doctor, a social worker, a detective, a psychologist, and a friend. And no, unfortunately you don't get a special outfit for each role. We checked.