AGPCNP vs. AGACNP: What's the Difference?
The nurse practitioner is considered the fastest-growing healthcare profession. According to data from the BLS, the employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow by 52%, way faster than average occupational growth. In addition to this, the aging population is also increasing, making nurse practitioners working in adult-gerontology more in demand than ever.
If you are interested, read this article to compare two famous adult-gerontology specialties: AGACNPs and AGPCNPs, going through their education, responsibilities, skills, workplace, and salary.
What Is an AG-PCNP?
An AG-PCNP is an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner responsible for caring for people from young adults to seniors. AG-PCNPs' scope of practice includes adolescents, adults, and older people with episodic or chronic conditions. They focus on patient education, health promotion, disease prevention, and health maintenance.
Education
AG-PCNPs are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs); meaning they have a graduate degree. Therefore, the minimum educational requirement for this role is an MSN degree (additional options include a post-graduate certificate or doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree).
After becoming a licensed RN and holding a BSN, you need to pursue a master's program concentrating in adult-gerontology primary care. The program must be accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and include a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours. After graduating, you become eligible to take the AG-PCNP certification examination through the ANCC. The exam consists of 175 questions, and when you pass it, you will earn the AGPCNP-BC (Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified) credential.
Skills
As an AG-PCNP, you need to possess a wide range of skills that will serve you in working with the elderly. Although being an adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner does not involve extremely sensitive cases, compassion is still needed as a vital component of an AG-PCNP nurse’s personality. In addition, being able to communicate effectively with patients is crucial for this role. Furthermore, attention to detail, patience, decision-making, time management, and problem-solving are all skills that an adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner must excel at in order to succeed at the job.
Responsibilities
Adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioners have a variety of responsibilities, which often depend on the facility or state where they practice. In general, they assess, diagnose, and manage patient health problems. They are also responsible for educating patients on disease prevention and healthy lifestyles.
AGPCNPs can also practice independently, where they order and analyze diagnostic tests, perform medical procedures, prescribe medicine, etc.
Other adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner responsibilities include:
obtaining medical histories,
performing physical examinations,
administering immunizations,
ordering tests,
managing transitions between care settings, and more.
Workplace
Working as an AGPCNP can be challenging but also rewarding in multiple aspects. One of them is that you get to work in a variety of settings. According to research conducted by the AANP, the top practice settings for adult-gerontology primary care NPs are hospital outpatient clinics, hospital inpatient units, and private group practices. In these environments, they educate patients and manage their health.
As an AGPCNP, you can find employment in:
Hospitals
Physicians' offices
Private practices
Nursing homes
Health clinics
Long-term care facilities
Rehabilitation centers
Urgent care clinics
Women's health clinics
Public health clinics
Rural health clinics
Schools
Prisons
Salary
According to reports, the average salary for an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) in the United States is around $98,788. The salary can range from $91,668 to $107,317, depending on various factors such as education, certifications, work experience, city, company, and so on. The more you invest in improving your skills and knowledge, the better the chances that you will be compensated with a higher salary for your job.
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What Is an AG-ACNP?
Now that you know what an AGPCNP is, let's check the AGACNP meaning. AG-ACNP is another adult-gerontology NP specialty and stands for adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. These professionals also take care of people from early adulthood to old age. They usually work in intensive care and acute care units, managing complex and critical conditions. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the majority of patients that they treat are diagnosed with heart failure, hypertension, or diabetes.
Education
To earn the AGACNP-BC (Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified) credential, you need an AG-ACNP master's program accredited by the CCNE or the ACEN. Additional education would be a postgraduate or doctoral degree.
So, with an RN license, BSN degree, having completed an AGACNP-BC program including 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours related to the AGACNP role, all that's left to do is apply for your certification exam. You can choose between the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) to get your credentials from.
In addition, as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, you can specialize in areas like critical care, oncology, cardiology, trauma, etc.
Skills
Because of the nature of their job, adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners must have empathy and patience as essential personality traits. They need to be compassionate and be able to manage time, making rapid decisions when dealing with various emergencies like traumatic accidents, severe injury cases, etc. In addition, a successful AGACNP must also possess resourcefulness, decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Moreover, these nurses usually work alongside various other medical professionals, so they have to promote good communication skills, teamwork, as well as leadership skills.
Responsibilities
Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners treat patients with acute, chronic, and critical illnesses in various settings. AGACNPs conduct initial health assessments, stabilize patients, help patients manage their health issues, and promote health maintenance. They deliver emergency and urgent care, addressing mental health concerns and physical needs.
The job responsibilities of an AGACNP usually include:
assessing patient health,
ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests,
developing treatment plans,
prescribing medication,
providing medical interventions,
communicating with patients and their families, etc.
Workplace
Even though adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners typically provide treatment in emergency departments, intensive care, and acute care units, you can also find them in many other facilities. Below you can find a list of places where an adult-gerontology acute care NP can work.
AGACNP practice settings include:
Inpatient hospitals
Community clinics
Emergency rooms (ER)
Surgical units
Nursing homes
Urgent care clinics
Trauma centers
Outpatient care facilities
Rehabilitative care units
Long-term care facilities
Salary
The AGACNP-BC salary in the United States is relatively high. As an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, your average salary would be around $100,893. Like the other profession, this salary also depends on various factors, contributing to higher or lower compensation, typically within the $95,145-$108,144 range.
AG-PCNP vs. AG-ACNP
When we compare AGACNP vs. AGPCNP, we notice that in addition to some similarities, these types of adult-gerontology nurses have many differences as well. Although both AG-PCNPs and AG-ACNPs care for adults and geriatric patients, hold an MSN degree, possess similar skills, prescribe medications, and earn good salaries—they have their contrasts.
First of all, when pursuing an MSN degree, they focus on different program specialties. While AG-PCNPs concentrate on primary care, AG-ACNPs have an acute care concentration. Furthermore, AG-ACNPs can specialize in various areas, but for AG-PCNPs, specialization is uncommon.
Furthermore, typical duties also differ due to having different patient needs. AG-PCNPs tend to develop meaningful relationships with their patient while maintaining and managing their health. On the other hand, AG-ACNPs focus on caring for patients from admission to discharge, providing urgent care treatments.
Their work settings may intertwine, but AG-PCNPs are generally found in hospital outpatient clinics, hospital inpatient units, and private group practices; meanwhile, AG-ACNPs typically work in intensive care units, emergency departments, and acute care units.
Conclusion
Older people are among the groups that most deal with complex physical and mental health needs. Therefore, all types of geriatric nurse practitioners are valuable to help seniors cope with their medical issues.
If you are willing to work towards a career dedicated to assisting the elderly to stay active and comfortably live out their last years, any of the two options you pursue will be worth it.