Retirement in the nursing field.

[A.B.123]

There is an issue going on at health care facilities about nurses who are still working as nurses well into their 60's and 70's. Assuming everyone ages differently, consider the effects of aging (such as decrease in vision, hearing, unsteady gait, ect.) do you think they put their patients and themselves at risk for injury? If so do you think there should be a mandatory retirement age for nurses?

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Not according to this:

Retirement Age Calculator

You are correct -- my error was that it incrementally increased beyond the traditional age of 65 years 0 months ... for those born in 1938 ... and is age 67 years 0 months for those born in 1959 or later.

[Music in My Heart]

Here's a thought:

Let's supposed that the deficiencies of age do in fact render a nurse inadequate, UNDER THE CURRENT MODEL OF PRACTICE. Perhaps, then, the solution is to institute a system of apprenticeship wherein the senior nurses have their juniors perform the manual labor of nursing whilst the master nurse plans and directs the care through the day.

Rather than taking the freshly minted BSN and putting them onto the floor, they instead would spend the next 3 years as a minimally-paid apprentice for the master nurse. I'd have my own 4 patients as well as my A-1, A-2, and A-3 to handle physical labor and other tasks as assigned.

After graduation from the apprenticeship, the nurse would then spend the next 20 years or so in solo practice whilst attaining 'master' status and the minimum required age to take on an apprentice.

I say this partly tongue-in-cheek, and because I don't mind doing people's homework for them, but am also pointing out that there are a great many accommodations that could be made to enable nurses to work longer than they might presently be able to.

I also don't particularly care for the idea that people might be forced into 'retirement' when same might be tantamount to forcing poverty upon them.

Instead, I'd prefer to see changes to the system which enable MORE gray-hairs to keep earning money rather than trying to force them out.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Here's a thought:

Let's supposed that the deficiencies of age do in fact render a nurse inadequate, UNDER THE CURRENT MODEL OF PRACTICE. Perhaps, then, the solution is to institute a system of apprenticeship wherein the senior nurses have their juniors perform the manual labor of nursing whilst the master nurse plans and directs the care through the day.

Rather than taking the freshly minted BSN and putting them onto the floor, they instead would spend the next 3 years as a minimally-paid apprentice for the master nurse. I'd have my own 4 patients as well as my A-1, A-2, and A-3 to handle physical labor and other tasks as assigned.

After graduation from the apprenticeship, the nurse would then spend the next 20 years or so in solo practice whilst attaining 'master' status and the minimum required age to take on an apprentice.

I say this partly tongue-in-cheek, and because I don't mind doing people's homework for them, but am also pointing out that there are a great many accommodations that could be made to enable nurses to work longer than they might presently be able to.

I also don't particularly care for the idea that people might be forced into 'retirement' when same might be tantamount to forcing poverty upon them.

Instead, I'd prefer to see changes to the system which enable MORE gray-hairs to keep earning money rather than trying to force them out.

They're NOT grays - I prefer to think of them as all-natural, eco-friendly organic highlights!! :)

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I've never seen any older nurses "running circles around the younger ones." The only people who say that are the old nurses who should have retired 10 years ago.

Then you have never worked with me.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Not according to this:

Retirement Age Calculator

Always read the fine print........

This is an archival or historical document. It may not reflect current policies or procedures.

"Your full retirement age is 65 and 2 months"

The retirement was changed to 67....IF you want 100% of your benefit.......in an effort to reduce "government spending" and the strain of the "entitlements" of social security and medicare.

It's all about the fine print

[amygarside]

I think being physically fit should just be one of the factor to consider when you are a nurse. Age could be a factor for debate because there will be younger nurses that can pose risk to the patient as well, so it is not really the age per se but your ability on how to handle patients and other nursing situation.

[rngolfer53]

The short answer to the OP's question is: No, I don't think there should be a mandatory retirement age for nurses or just about anyone else.

That said, people should recognize their own limitations. I hear better than some younger people who seemingly spend much of their lives with earbuds jammed in their heads and music loud enough for this nearing-60 coot to notice from across the room. (I probably don't have a clue about who the band is. ) But my sense of smell is lousy. I might very well miss the ketones on a diabetics breath.

I recognize there are some things I can't do as well today as 10 or 15 years ago. I avoid working three twelves in a row. I work in a field--hospice--where having a few miles on the odometer is often a benefit, since many of our patients and families are elderly. We have more experiences in common, more culture in common. I would not do well on an adolescent psych unit, or any adolescent unit in all probability.

That's not to say that age, or lack of it, is a determining factor in one's fitness for any particular area of nursing--I work with some excellent young hospice nurses--and certainly not for nursing in general. Like any other job, one should think about what your interests are, what your strong and weak points are....and find the spot that maximizes strengths and minimizes weakness. Elementary to be sure, but all too easy to overlook.

[cherryames1949]

There are many areas of nursing requiring different skills. I am a Home Infusion nurse. I am sure that I can continue as long as my health and the desire to do the job hold out. I would never even entertain the idea of being a floor nurse in a hospital at the age of 63. In nursing there is a place for all who are able to do the job.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I think the mandatory retirement age for nurses should be 50 since that is the age I am currently.

And their retirement pension should be funded by the the young nurses just starting out.

Get it done ASAP please OP.

That's right. If they want us to step aside, fine. But then they should fund it, much like we pay into Social Security.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I'm not saying that the nurse caused sepsis. I'm saying the nurse didn't see the alert and transfer the patient to the appropriate level of care as she should of, and as it should have happened.

You don't need a computer prompt to be alert to the signs of impending sepsis. Goodness, what did we do before we had computers? I know I was taught what to look for; in fact, it was covered when I was reviewing content for my certification in oncology.

We shouldn't let computers take the place of good old fashioned assessment. It sounds like that was the real problem with this nurse, and that can happen at any age.

[llg, PhD, RN]

While I don't think there should be a mandatory retirement age for nurses ...

I do think that the issue of declining abilities associated with aging are something we as a society and as a profession need to seriously consider. All people experience some decline in their abilities as they age ..and few people recognize and acknowledge those declines until they become significant. They don't all "self-monitor" and adjust their activities and responsibilities accordingly. Hence, all the struggles family go through with, "What do we do about grandpa?" "I'm worried about Mom." etc.

While each person should be treated as an individual -- and treated with respect -- we need better mechanisms in place to identify those whose declining abilities might have implications for their employment as a nurse. The ones we have now are not sufficient as people need to make a series of serious mistakes before they can be terminated. Currently, we are relying on the nurses themselves to identify when they should move into a less demanding job or retire completely. And as I pointed out above, many people are not good at acknowledging their own limitations. As the nursing population ages, this is going to be an increasingly important issue.

llg (age 57)

[rita359]

Interesting topic as I am currently 64. Have been healthy all my life and still am. Take no meds. Glasses to correct my vision. Husband is retired.

Don't feel like retiring yet. Not the most computer literate but am getting better. Hope to go on for awhile before I throw in the towel. Evaluations have been good so why should I quit?