How are you spending your retirement?

Nurses Retired

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I don't mean your money! :lol2:

I mean; how do you spend your time? What interests, hobbies etc are you pursuing?

And, do you enjoy being retired?

My boss got tired of my complaints about the corners I had to cut trying to give nursing care that I could live with. She retired me (AKA found somebody to lie about me, fire me, contest my 6 months unemployment, and challenge my license). After three years of extreme poverty the stress of 23 years of hospital work (mostly in the busiest ERs in town) I became physically disabled. My wife got SSI but even with our SSD it would not cover our predatorily overpriced mortgage and all the other expenses of living in a dying rust belt city. February this year, we moved to the Southwest and absolutely love it. Gorgeous weather, no crime, polite neighbors, wide open spaces and much lower cost-of-living makes us wonder why it took so long to get away from the hell hole that our nice neighborhood in Detroit had become.

At first I missed giving nursing care, but the more I think about it, the more foolish it seems that I spent so many years destroying my body (and my mind) trying to work in spite of the nurse managers and bean counters of hospital administration.

Whenever I think I miss nursing, all I have to do is read about the experiences of working nurses on this board. The latest is "nurses struggling with mental illness" where nurses are expected to disclose their medications to their employers. Have none of them heard of HIPPA? Wouldn't the hospital help a nurse get sued for disclosing health information to a third party? So nurses must treat everybody else's health information (except their own) in the world as priveleged? Whatever happened to privacy?

Yes, I do miss my patients, but the horse's behinds that "run" our "health care system?" Not at all.

Owney:typing:

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

I've been retired almost 6 years now, wouldn't change it for anything!

I had times whereby I questioned my decision to take early retirement, but those were far and few between and have become even less in recent years. The more I hear of things which are happening in the workforce today, the more I'm glad and grateful not to be a part of it!

Specializes in ICU, Trauma, ER, Peds, Family Practice.

:yeah:I am spending my retirement from nursing doing massage and reflexology to supplement my income. Taking guitar lessons, kayaking, excercising, walking my dog, finishing buidling our home and playing with my grandchildren. Doing some gardening. Mostly enjoying my life and not dealing with commuting and stressful nursing jobs. I guess it was time for me to leave nursing as I was getting very tired. Now I am getting healthier and getting my personal energy and power back. Thanks for asking this question. It would be nice to know what others are doing with their retirement time.

Paddle lady

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.
:yeah:I am spending my retirement from nursing doing massage and reflexology to supplement my income. Taking guitar lessons, kayaking, excercising, walking my dog, finishing buidling our home and playing with my grandchildren. Doing some gardening. Mostly enjoying my life and not dealing with commuting and stressful nursing jobs. I guess it was time for me to leave nursing as I was getting very tired. Now I am getting healthier and getting my personal energy and power back. Thanks for asking this question. It would be nice to know what others are doing with their retirement time.

Paddle lady

Sounds like you're having a great retirement! Nice to see! :)

And i thought I was busy and fully occupied! :)

That's terrific that your energy and power are returning! You need both to enjoy your retirement!

Have fun!

Specializes in ICU, Trauma, ER, Peds, Family Practice.

Hi Grace

I lasted 41 years in nursing. Share a little of what you are doing with your retirement. It is always nice to hear what us recovering nurses are doing.

I was just thinking the other day of all my jobs and what energy it took to take care of critically ill patients and dealing with institutional policies and various departments. Then I worked for an insurance company doing utilization review. I wanted to learn what goes on and how decisions are made at the medical insurance level. Wow that was an eye opener . I got very sick working for the evil insurance companies. One day for an MI patient in ICU. It takes more that one day to mend a broken heart. I was appauld .I also thought about all the friendships made and lost over the years. I sometimes think about what would have happened if I made a different choice in careers. The young folks have many more choices and paths that they can follow. That explains the shortage in nursing.

Warm Regards,:nurse:

Paddlelady

(Judy)

Hi

I retired when I moved to be closer to my daughter & grandkids. i was so happy being a grandmother I never looked for a job. That's how I became retiredd. then I became on Ombudsman (always wanted to do

that kind of work., loved being one. Had more time on my hands, took a spanish class for seniors, more time gave our local library 4 or more hours a week

Once a month registered donors to give blood. more time? Volunteered at the local hospital to answer lights.

It was so great the diversity the pleasures of being a nurse in so many different capacities.

Hope yu enjoy your retirement as much.

safta24

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

Great to read what people are doing in retirement.

I fill my time indulging myself like I never have before in my life! :lol2:

My indulgences include; travel, hiking, swimming, beach walks, scrapbooking, card making, reading, cooking, corresponding with family and friend's, pottering on the computer, country drives, long lunches with former colleagues and friend's, :D Long phone conversations with family and friend's :D. There's more, but you get the picture! :)

DH and I do some of these activities together, and there's things I do solo.

Now that I've spoilt myself in the 6 years since retirement, and because I now feel more ready for it; I'm looking into where best to avail myself for volunteer work.

I haven't quite figured out what would be a good fit for me as yet.

Volunteering at hospice has been suggested to me. I'm considering this option. I do wonder though, if I'd be able to step back in times of great need and remember I'm NOT the nurse! lol

Old habits and all that :rolleyes:

Then again, do I really want to go back into the healthcare setting, even as a volunteer?

:thnkg:

Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.

My husband retired at 62 after 30 years, then waited more or less patiently for me to reach 30 years and retire. We each have a decent pension plus 403bs and now SS. At first I really missed working--or at least missed the companionship of my colleagues. Now after several years, I do hear from some of them--but at Christmas only. I spend my time "going to the club" for exercise classes, attending TOPS meetings (I succeeded in taking off 30 lbs after retirement) and worrying about my husband's deteriorating health. And loving the grandchildren!

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

Congratulations on the weight loss, Jamesdotter! That's my current goal, to lose this weight which I've gained over our winter! :)

Could you explain to me please what 403bs is?

I gather retirement income is somewhat different in America as compared to Australia.

Specializes in ICU, Trauma, ER, Peds, Family Practice.

Grace,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about retirment and your current activities. I thought about volunteering at a hospital or hospice. However, I have developed a strange condition called panic attacks and they are worse when I enter a medical establishment. Sounds like I need to heal and not go near any medical establishment. I did work hospice for a short time and the volunteers were an intergral part of the patient care. We did depend on them. Some of the patients bonded with a certain volunteer and this was very helpful in the process.

I noticed that you are in Austrailia. I am in the USA in the state of Wa. It is so wonderful to be able to share nursing thoughts across the miles. I appreciate this forum.

Warm regards

Judy:nurse:

Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.
Congratulations on the weight loss, Jamesdotter! That's my current goal, to lose this weight which I've gained over our winter! :)

Could you explain to me please what 403bs is?

I gather retirement income is somewhat different in America as compared to Australia.

I'm having a little trouble explaining "403b", but anyway it's an amount of money (the amount one can set aside is dictated by law) that we can have our employer withdraw from our net income and set aside for our retirement. When and how we can withdraw it is also a part of the law. 403b is the number of the paragraph in the law that sets it up, and refers to public employees. People who work for private employers have a similar setup--that paragraph number is 401k.

I hope that makes sense. Any additions or corrections from my colleagues?

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

Thanks for the explanation, James.

It sounds similar to our superannuation here in Australia. The employer contributes a certain percentage, don't quote me, but I think it's currently about 9% or so to a fund and the employee can contribute whatever they choose in addition.

Here in Oz we can withdraw after age 55 if retired or semi-retired.

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