Retirement in the nursing field.

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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?

Specializes in PCCN.

I don't mean to "dis" anyone who is over 50, etc( thats about where I am in age). Maybe it's just regional. I know I have a problem hauling the 600 lb ers up in bed,dodging hits from the confused/drug/etoh people, obnoxious litigious families. I'd hate to see someone in their 70's dealing with these things.

Just so I don't appear completely ignorant- my great aunt volunteered at the community hospital until she was 92. But this was back in the 70's- back when people weren't such jerks, and actually slightly respectful of others. This me me me mentality and "I don't care if a code is going on, I'm more important" BS wasnt so rampant as it is now.I seriously doubt she would be able to do this stuff now, and be safe or not disgusted bt the current society.

Aside from that,I do know that people over 40 are not finding jobs of ANY kind (even non-nursing) in my area. Actually, ironically, nursing jobs are one of the few jobs that ARE available in my area.Sure it's due to the high turnover.This is partly why I stay put in a job I abhor.I could go elsewhere; It would be same sheet , different day.

I want to go back to school for something else, but even with a new degree, at my age, no one will hire me.

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As a nurse who has worked in the OR for 30 years, I think we should have the option to retire after 30 years. Teachers are allowed to retire after 30 years of service. My job is physically demanding and I don't know how much longer I can do this. I love my job but I do have trouble hearing and it's really hard to get on the floor and lift the heavy trays. I don't think any person should have to work over 62 unless they want to. I would like to enjoy the years I have left on earth. My institution doesn't honor seniority so getting time off is very difficult esp. being understaffed.

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I think that all nurses responsible for safety and care of patients , should be evaluated and judged on their performance, not their age I have been a nurse 40 yrs (58 yrs old) and I sure can keep up with the younger nurses.

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Specializes in rehab, antepartum, med-surg, cardiac.

I've seen it. We had a nurse well into her mid 60's that never sat down and was ALWAYS, ALWAYS way ahead of any younger nurses.

Please don't generalize.

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Specializes in L&D.

So basically, should age alone be a requirement for retirement?

Simple answer: No.

As per others' comments, ability to give safe care is not determined by age, but rather by a multitude of factors. Physically, we older nurses may need more help pushing a bed, but we are also your great resource for challenging situations as we often have "been there, done that" before. It is a trade off.

Yes, I am dog-tired after a busy 12 hour shift...but so is everyone else.

Yes, I will probably need hearing aides in

Yes, I wear glasses...but I've been wearing them since age 9!

Yes, I am aware I may not have the best memory...but I've been writing myself notes for 30 years: I LOVE post-its!

Yes, my math skills are awful and I want to have med dosages double-checked with another RN...but I've done this for 30+ years of nursing for patient safety...I flunked Algebra I and barely passed my other math classes, so this is nothing new.

Yes, I appreciate help turning patients and pushing beds...but so do my co-workers!

Do I probably spend more time on my days off "recuperating" than my 20+ year old peers? Yup, I'm positive I do!

Would I like to retire at 65? You bet! I'd love to have time to do more volunteer work, spend time with family, travel, etc.

Can I retire at 65? Nope. I am the sole support of my family, as well as contributing to the expenses of my children and their children on occasion.

Can I retire at 65? Nope. I have NO retirement plan, per se. And my measly 401 K won't last two years. Too many expenses raising a family kept me from major contributions to my own savings. Most teachers, police, firefighters and other service professionals have some kind of retirement plan. My friends who taught in New York have a comfortable life of retirement. I will be moving into my car!

Please do NOT judge people by their age, any more than you would by their color, their religion, etc.

I need my job til at least age 70!

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Specializes in PCCN.
Yes, I know several people, including myself, that love their jobs! Saying that 70 year old's are not hiring material is just BS...Please do not put us in our graves before we are ready.

60 and loving it!

I wasn't referring to your specific situation.I'm guessing you have a job currently. I just was saying that because of the current job markets, people in their 50's are not getting hired- I would imagine in your 70's would be even harder to get hired.

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Hey-- try starting your own business at 50+. At least that's worked out so far. But retirement? In my dreaaaaammmmmsss. :sarcastic:

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I Am a new nurse with only 4 mos experience on the job. There are nurses who were working for 15-20 years when I was BORN who are still working now.Their experience is crazy - they've seen so much and yes are able to do wound treatments etc a lot faster than me. Age does not correlate with good nursing practice.

There are also nurses with 10+ years experience who don't care, don't follow protocols etc. Just because they have ten years on me doesn't mean they give better care than i do. It goes both ways !

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Specializes in ER 10 years, Endoscopy 10 years, Wound C.

This has been a great thread and I have enjoyed the opinions expressed here. My experience has been one of great cooperation between the differing age groups. Turn over at our facility is very limited. It is possible to be working along side of a new nurse who was once one of your peds patients or a nurse who was present at your own birth. We try to care for each other as family members. When my friend began having some trouble with her hearing I would do the breath sound assessments and she taught me excellent veinipuncture techniques that I have used for years. When my friend retired but had to return to be able to afford her medications, we all knew that someday we would be walking in her shoes and supported her as she had supported us when we took our first painfully slow steps into nursing. It would be wonderful if all nurses could retire while young enough to enjoy some quality of life, but by virtue of our giving nature, we often have nothing for ourselves when the time comes. I have been working at the same hospital for 32 years and plan to continue working at least until age 75. At that age, I may not be as quick as I am now but hopefully I will still be able to have value as a mentor and teacher and the younger nurses will realize that someday they too will be in the same position. I know that we don't always take care of ourselves but we can, and should take care of each other.

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I'm almost 50 look barely 40 and am usually the first one to jump up and answer the endless bed alarms. Work ethic, fitness, wisdom and experience are more important than straight age in determining if an employee can still do the job.

Where I work you rarely see staff over 40 texting during work or on the Internet. We worked for years without carrying a cell phone. My younger co-worker claim they have to carry their phone in case of an emergency. Heck some of them have 20 personal emergencies per shift at the rate they are on their phones. Give who ever the unit number and tell them to call only for true emergencies otherwise you'll call them on your break. ........ Stepping down from my soap box now

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
An archival or historical document?, this page is dated 10/18/2012.

it is what it said on the web page....I was quoting the web page......and besides.....I was born in 1960 so it's 67 for me.

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

[h=3]Your full retirement age is 65[/h] Remember, the earliest a person can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits will remain age 62.

If you start receiving retirement benefits at age 62, you will get 80% of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 36 months.

If you start receiving benefits as a spouse at

  • your full retirement age, you will get 50% of the monthly benefit your spouse would receive if his or her benefits started at full retirement age.
  • age 62, you will get 37.5% of the monthly benefit instead of 50% because you will be getting benefits for an additional 36 months.

Full Retirement Age: If You Were Born In 1937[/h]

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

I have found that nothing is as it seems and what I have been told. Just a cautionary tale.
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it is what it said on the web page....I was quoting the web page......and besides.....I was born in 1960 so it's 67 for me.

I have found that nothing is as it seems and what I have been told. Just a cautionary tale.

There are a lot of nurses posting here (who are still actually working by the way) who were born prior to 1960.

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