Too young to be a nurse??

Nurses Relations

Published

Hello, I have a friend who was telling me that the younger the person goes into nursing field the more they're looked down upon by other nurses.:confused: I would thing that if we were being judged it would be by our work skills not our age.I am starting feel like I am a little naive about these things but I would really like to know. So, just out of curiosity how old was the youngest nurse you have worked for? How are younger nurses seen in your work enviroment? Is there really that much of a discrimination on age? I would like to know of any personal experiences or comments about this matter.:)

Specializes in orthopedic & HDU.
Hello, I have a friend who was telling me that the younger the person goes into nursing field the more they're looked down upon by other nurses.:confused: I would thing that if we were being judged it would be by our work skills not our age.I am starting feel like I am a little naive about these things but I would really like to know. So, just out of curiosity how old was the youngest nurse you have worked for? How are younger nurses seen in your work enviroment? Is there really that much of a discrimination on age? I would like to know of any personal experiences or comments about this matter.:)

i think that will depend how you handle ur self.If u are a type that knows it all then u will be in trouble all the time with ur co workers,i was 21 when i first become an RN,the lesson i learnt was sucked it up( learn as much as u can from others,admit critizism,expects errors,)and that will mold u up as a much better nurse in the future im almost 40 yrs old now and i still remember in my mind what my 1st few days in the hospital as an RN.AGE DISCRIMINATION i dont think that still a problem,,people will uplause you by getting acareer at such young age.but u never know there might be few out there that will disrespect you,as long as you do ur job properly ,then u dont have to worry about them....goodluck young man....the future is looking bright for you:yeah:

joe

0 Votes
Specializes in orthopedic & HDU.
i think that will depend how you handle ur self.If u are a type that knows it all then u will be in trouble all the time with ur co workers,i was 21 when i first become an RN,the lesson i learnt was sucked it up( learn as much as u can from others,admit critizism,expects errors,)and that will mold u up as a much better nurse in the future im almost 40 yrs old now and i still remember in my mind what my 1st few days in the hospital as an RN.AGE DISCRIMINATION i dont think that still a problem,,people will uplause you by getting acareer at such young age.but u never know there might be few out there that will disrespect you,as long as you do ur job properly ,then u dont have to worry about them....goodluck young man....the future is looking bright for you:yeah:

joe

my apology....young girl or a youngman...:clown:

0 Votes

I am 23 years old, will be 24 when I graduate. I have worked at my current job for 2 1/2 years and I am a trainer. In addition, I am a mentor to a younger nursing student. There's a lot this 23 year old can do, and there's a lot you can do too.

0 Votes
Specializes in geriatrics.
while I dont have an answer, I have the complete opposite problem. I am 40 and will finish my program this year, and am very worried that my age will hinder my ability to obtain employment b/c I'm not a younger person...so hard to tell

I graduated at the age of 52; am now 55. My age did not hinder my ability to find employment. One of the biggest challenges comming into a new facility though was people expected me to be much more experienced than I was. I simply explained that I was a new grad.

40 is still young!

0 Votes
Specializes in LTC.

Wow I thought I was the only one 21 years old and having to be in charge of people 20-40 years older than me.

Its never been an issue. Like another poster above said, act like a professional and you will be treated like one. The little old ladies tell me, "Honey.. you cannot be any older than 12. How are you a nurse?"

0 Votes
Specializes in orthopedic & HDU.
Wow I thought I was the only one 21 years old and having to be in charge of people 20-40 years older than me.

Its never been an issue. Like another poster above said, act like a professional and you will be treated like one. The little old ladies tell me, "Honey.. you cannot be any older than 12. How are you a nurse?"

agree,learning never stop at age....as we grow we learnt new things ..same as a nurse as we progress we learn new technique,ways of doing things..nursing is a continous process...these changes make us a sucessfull individual

0 Votes
Specializes in Urgent Care.

I went to school right out of high school and graduated with my BSN @ 20. I had my first job by 21. There are always few who have issues with age differences but not bad overall. You're smart going early trust me it's worth it!

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I WISH I had had the courage to pursue this (as I wanted to) when I was young. Honestly, I love seeing young workers tackling important jobs with the skills, knowledge and passion for it that those jobs deserve. I would be willing to go to great lengths to help that person.

Don't let fear of the unknown create monsters in the closet based on scare stories from a few. There will be people in every walk of life resenting your youth. You don't struggle with it or even necessarily notice it now - no need to make it bigger than that at your place of employment either. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams (quote from a source I cannot remember at the moment).

0 Votes

I think that one of the big advantages of going to school younger is that the brain isn't fully formed until age 25. The information seems to be stored better. I know that as I've gotten older (of course there are other variables with my brain) it takes more effort to assimilate new stuff. I understand it, and it makes sense, but it gets 'stuck' somewhere :)

Also, by going soon after high school, the study habits haven't been totally lost in space :D

I love doing CEU books (mail order), and find that it takes me longer- even though I don't find the info difficult . Maybe it's just the meds I'm on- but age is not a big plus for keeping cobwebs from forming !!

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU, medsurg/tele.

I started when i was 22. I frequently get questioned by my patients and family members "are you in nursing school? when do you finish?" After I already introduced myself as their nurse. I tell them that I already graduated and they look shocked / surprised and say "you look so young!" and I respond "thats because I am" they usually laugh and thats the end of it. No one has ever complained about my age. Just a lot of questions :)

0 Votes
Specializes in OB, Med/Surg, Ortho, ICU.

I agree with all the posters that say they believe if you act professionally, you shall be treated as such. I'm only 30 (that's not that old!!) and the younger nurses or aides that bother me in that fashion are the one that are constantly texting, gossiping, talking about their shoes, using vernacular and catch phrases overly much, and saying how scrubs don't show off their figure enough. We're not there to look pretty (though it's expected to at least look neat), we're there to work. If you are an eager learner and worker, you'll do fine.

0 Votes
Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

I'm a new grad at 22 y/o and the youngest nurse on staff in our PICU. I was told by the charge nurse my first week on the job, "We don't eat our young here. We are an excellent team and if you want to be excellent with us, we have every incentive to make it work. So if we see that you are willing to learn and you want to work, we are going to take care of you."

It was very reassuring to hear and what she said has proved to be completely true. While I'm sure there are some units that don't accept newcomers well, I do believe it's more about the attitude of the newcomer and the staff.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment