Ageism Is Pervasive
It's not news to anyone that our society values youth and devalues age. It seems that the worst choice you can make is to grow old.
Older people are often mistakenly seen as irrelevant, slow, and a burden on society.
Getting old is deeply feared by many and not without reason. Women are coy about their age. Anti-aging products are a gagillion dollar industry.
Likewise, there is ageism in nursing. Jobs go to younger applicants. Older nurses are squeezed out and replaced by younger nurses. If you show up to an interview with wrinkles, are you automatically disqualified?
Yes. Yes, you may be.
There are laws to prevent age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (amended in 1986) says that it's illegal for an employer to discriminate against you if you are over 40 (no upper cap on age). However, this is not likely to help an aging nurse even if she/he is being discriminated against.
But here are some tips to help you in the workplace and when interviewing for a job.
On the Job
What does age discrimination look like on the job? Perhaps you've experienced or witnessed some of the following:
Are you frequently asked about your retirement plans?
Are you excluded socially?
Have you been passed over for a promotion?
Have you watched incredulously while a nurse with one year's experience is selected to be Charge Nurse?
Maybe you just know that age discrimination exists in your workplace, but it is hard to put your finger on.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes of older workers exist and they can be inaccurate and damaging.
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Older nurses are slower. They cannot keep up.
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Older workers are resistant to change. They are rigid and set in their ways.
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Older workers cannot understand technology.
What other generalizations are you aware of?
What You Can Do To Mitigate Age Aiscrimination
The law is not going to help you. Age discrimination is difficult to prove, even if you are inclined to spend the time and money. What you can do is change yourself.
Do not internalize society's views on aging. In other words, do not drink the Kool-aid. Do not draw attention to your age.
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Do not repeatedly say "Back in my day" or "When I started nursing, we had 25 patients and no IV pumps..." Do not refer to yourself as "old". Daily at my work, I hear co-workers brand themselves as "old" and I wince.
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Resist the temptation to talk about your aches and pains or point out to others that you can no longer read up close without glasses.
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Have a positive focus. You have valuable life experience. You have a strongly established work ethic, you are not going to get pregnant. You have learned to play well in the sandbox with others....what else, my over 40 friends?
Stay Vibrant
What age are you projecting? Pay attention to your personal appearance. What is it saying about you? Is your appearance age appropriate?
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Stay fit and healthy- this is half the game. Never give up. Sit up straight with your back not touching the chair. Cultivate a Spring in your step and a light in your eye.
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Project energy and enthusiasm.
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Pay attention to the vibe you are projecting and your energy aura. Energy is attractive. Be passionate. Use words like energy and motivated in your interview.
Stay Relevant/Stay in Touch
Stay relevant in your field. Practice is changing a mile a minute. Read journals and pursue continuing education. Be known as the nurse with the latest evidence-based information. Be a lifelong learner. Intellectual curiosity is your ally.
Stay culturally relevant. For example, occasionally listen to current popular music , and be aware of beauty/fashion trends.
If you have a sixteen-year-old in your life (like my niece), you have an automatic pipeline to the latest everything. Try new restaurants. Be open-minded. Stay tuned in.
Create Your Own Value
Create a niche for yourself. What does that mean? You can be the unit expert on 12 EKGs, or blood gas interpretation.
You can be comfortably confident by virtue of maturity. No limp handshakes for you. You know how to make eye contact and conduct yourself socially.
Emphasize your technology skills. Put your LinkedIn url on your resume as a contact. If your email account is aol, change it to firstname.lastname @gmail.com.
Don't be Your Own Worst Enemy
Do not compare yourself to others who are younger. I was at an interview where an older woman giggled and said "Well, you young people will have to help me on the computer". Did she think she was flattering the interviewers? It was not funny, it was not cute, and she was not hired.
How about this instead "The other day on X I read an article by Forbes about self-governance in nursing. Is that something you do here?"
Age discrimination may not seem real until you've experienced it. It's easy to regard growing older as something that happens to other people (old people?) and not to themselves. But it's a fact of life.
As a wise woman once said to a young girl...
"As you are, I was. As I am, you'll be."
What is your experience regarding ageism in nursing? Please share, I'd love to hear.
