GEGerontologist
GE
Career

Gerontologist

By the numbers
Typical pay
$103,410 / yr
Education to start
Doctoral or professional degree
Future demand
+8.7% by 2034
People in this job
172K
Figures shown for ·closest of 3 O*NET occupations
The work
A day, hour by hour
08:00
Chart review

Scan overnight notes and flag any clients who need urgent attention today.

08:30
Team huddle

Quick sync with nurses and social workers — share updates, divide the caseload.

09:00
Client assessments

Visit three older adults; probe physical, mental, and social needs face-to-face.

11:00
Care plan decisions

Is that confusion a bad day or real decline? Adjust plans accordingly.

12:00
Family counseling

Sit with a family — their plan and their parent's wishes aren't the same.

13:30
Program work

Draft a new wellness session to keep a group of seniors active and connected.

14:30
Interdisciplinary round

Loop in the doctor and social worker to close gaps in one complex client's care.

15:30
Documentation

Write up detailed progress notes for every client seen today — no shortcuts.

16:30
Advocacy & wrap-up

Flag a potential abuse concern to the supervisor; review tomorrow's caseload.

Things you do
  • Assess older adults to understand their physical, mental, and social needs.
  • Design care plans that help seniors live safely and independently.
  • Counsel older adults and families through tough aging-related decisions.
  • Study how and why the body and mind change as people age.
  • Build programs that keep seniors active, connected, and healthy.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Is this person's confusion a sign of decline, or just a bad day?
  • Should I push for more independence here, or is safety the bigger concern right now?
  • Is the family's plan actually what the older adult wants for themselves?
  • Do I flag this as a potential abuse situation, or am I misreading the signs?
  • Is this client grieving normally, or do they need professional mental health support?
Education Pathways · how you get there
100 in 100 went the college route · 0 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET:
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