57 and need to start over YET AGAIN!

Nurses Career Support

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I need some help. I just joined the site. I am working as a radiology nurse in small imaging facility. Its been a great job. Unfortunately we are shutting our doors 12/2013. I am worried sick. I live in a small area. I'd rather not go back into hospital. I just feel nursing is over as I knew it in a hospital setting. I can't even get a call for a nursing home. I truly think my age is working against me.

What can I do? The thought of starting over again makes me physically ill!

I appreciate any help and all advice! Thank you everyone.

I've been trying to check into insurance nursing but dead ends everywhere.

Specializes in Intermediate care.

Home health?? I took a job (PRN) going into home taking care of a teen-ager with spinal cord injury, is ventilator dependent. He has his main nurse who is in her 50's maybe? And a few PRN people to give her some days off. She is wonderful. Something like that...can go to care.com to apply/look for jobs like this.

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Just wanted to send positive vibes your way!

Experienced nurses cost a lot of money... and of course, it is all about the bottom line. :(

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I have no advice. I have a job, but go to work every day mildly anxious that my employer will manufacture a reason to let me go. It's so scary to be 50 in nursing.

Good luck to all of you looking for jobs.

--------------> positive vibes from me too!

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I It's so scary to be 50 in nursing.

You can say THAT again!!! :nailbiting:

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OH goodness the boat keeps getting bigger and bigger. I am 57 and was laid off following years of healthcare experienced. Cant return to college as I DID that when I was 45 yrs old. Earned my RN at 50 yrs old. Still another 5 yrs of the FIRST student loans to pay for. LTC is plan frightening when the ratio is 35/1. (Been there done that)

I feel too old to start over... AGAIN.. and too young too.

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Try going to your local board of education and get on the sub list as a school nurse. My district always needs subs and they don't require any special certifications to just sub. Worth a try!

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Specializes in Home Health, MS, Oncology, Case Manageme.

I'm 51 and its not my age holding me back, its my education level. I'm starting my RN-BSN in a few weeks. FYI- Certified home care is a specialty and it takes a good year to be good at it. Private duty (home care) is probably your best bet.

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I'm lucky that at 62 my profession actually values a few grey hairs overlying the leetle grey cells. However, it took me a long time to get the expertise to get me to that happy place.

Have you thought about free-standing surgery centers, aesthetic nursing (laser hair removal in a skin care clinic or MD office), mammography centers, big ortho practices (most have their own x-ray facilities), big urology practices (many office procedures, like urodynamics), pain management (fluoroscopy-aided injections)?

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

A pain management clinic would love your experience. How about interventional radiology in a hospital? Most of the staff working that department is very happy.

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Wow! Just exactly what I have been experiencing! I keep applying to places, and just about everything that looks like it might be a go...then it finally hit me - age discrimination! It's nice to see the many suggestions here, but believe me, I have hit the wall with most of those ideas - can't get into home care because I don't have specific home care experience, even office positions are extremely difficult to come by and another place where there is a great deal of age discrimination, most likely having to do with the fact that most places are now using EMR's. I feel that they think that "older" nurses don't do EMR! And that is just a bunch of bologna! I don't get the feeling that they value our years of experience. I was just bypassed for an office position in my specialty. It was given to a person who has been a nurse for about a year, but had more of an office background...go figure...

What is acceptable regarding follow-up with the people who make the hiring decisions? HR, manager, etc.? Is there a fine line between overkill and just letting them know that you want the position?

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Travel nursing or agency nursing might find something for you that could turn into a great thing.

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You might want to try any varicose vein clinics in your area. They hire RNs to do initial exams and treatments.

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