Age Discrimination in Nursing

[MNRN22]

I would like to share my story on age discrimination. Please read my story and offer advice and feedback on how I can deal with a situation where I was told, "this is not a job for someone approaching retirement age who is looking to take it easier". 

I have been a nurse for 14 years and I am 65 years of age. For 8 years I've worked at one of the top hospitals in the United States, voted year after year as one of America's Best Hospitals. I have eight years of both positive employee reviews and 360 comments, and I have been told I am well liked by everyone. I know, talk is cheap!

I applied for an internal job posting, a case management fellowship position. After submitting my resume and internal reviews, I was scheduled for an interview over Zoom. The interview concluded with a question and answer period. At the end of this period the person in charge of the fellowship program made the following comment to me. "This is a very difficult and demanding job. Our case managers have 18 patients, and you as a nurse only have 2. That's a big difference and many nurses don't realize how difficult the position is. It is not a good fit for someone approaching retirement age and looking to take it easier."

I was shocked and I was so dumfounded that this would be said to me during an interview that I did not even respond. During the following two weeks I related this story to all of my friends, "Do you think they were talking about me, or am I over reacting". So stupid was I until it finally dawned on me, "They were not talking about you, they were talking directly to you!" I was told that HR would let me know, and I never heard back from anyone, period. Finally two weeks after the start of the fellowship program, I stumbled online to my "career" page and I saw that I was no longer being considered for the position.

I pride myself on great patient care and I love the hospital that I work for, in fact for many years I worshiped it and felt honored and privileged to work there. Now I feel hurt, angry, unappreciated and I feel as though nothing I have done for the organization really mattered. But after that disappointment came anger, that I could be treated this way.  I am feeling I want to fight back. 

I am considering calling the compliance hot line but I fear retaliation. I have a pension and great benefits and do not want to loose my job. I feel that HR represents the company, not me. I am considering reaching out to the EEOC and filing a formal complaint. 

I am unsure what to do but in my heart I realize that not speaking out and doing nothing is allowing this kind of behavior to continue. I would now like to call the company out on their behavior.

Any advice anyone can share would be appeciated.

[SunCityInsPhysical, BSN, RN]

Corporate mentality is self serving and abusive here, short staffed and more patients in chairs than is safe, it's dangerous and demoralizing. Listening to on hold spiel at corp is a joke but they make it sound great, planning to open more locations instead of relieving staff. 

I wonder how many of us old gals still have the Florence Nightingale work ethic. Patients first, self last. You can't serve from an empty glass.

My days here at this job are numbered, my friend with cancer is fading away, I'm already looking to switch when she goes into hospice. Letter of resignation is ready to hit send after I clock out, just waiting for her to announce Happy Hour at Applebee's girls night out.  We haven't been in 18 months. Will toast to fighting the good fight, friendship and changing to a fruity alcohol based treatment regimen. Cheers.

 

[cgw5364, ADN]

I understand why the person over the fellowship program made this statement" It is not a good fit for someone approaching retirement age and looking to take it easier.". Fellowships are generally programs that provide extensive long-term training. This type of training costs employees a lot of money and they want a return in their investment. Say you did get the fellowship and two years in you decided that you did not really like case management and regretted your decision. At 67 you have the option to retire or semi-retire whereas a younger person without that option might be inclined to stay. What about Case Management interest you? There are many case management and utilization management jobs with all of the major insurance companies that would probably love your critical care experience. 

 

[JKL33]

cgw5364 said:

This type of training costs employees a lot of money and they want a return in their investment. Say you did get the fellowship and two years in you decided that you did not really like case management and regretted your decision. At 67 you have the option to retire or semi-retire whereas a younger person without that option might be inclined to stay.

Oh, but all the youngers have no loyalty--that's what corporations are crying out of the other side of their mouths--remember? That's why all the new grad contracts are necessary--because corporations are bleeding and hemorrhaging because they have to pump gazillions of dollars into each new grad for "residency" (aka orientation) and if they don't employ TRAPs then all the disloyal young workers will just leave once they finish the über-special residency (which somehow doesn't include dedicated preceptors)?

They don't want anybody with much life or nursing experience. That's what they don't want.  They are perfectly fine with their turnover and have shrugged at innumerable opportunities to mitigate it.

Don't fall for their malarkey. There are no forum-friendly words to describe their despicable MO.

 

 

[MNRN22, BSN]

cgw5364 said:

I understand why the person over the fellowship program made this statement" It is not a good fit for someone approaching retirement age and looking to take it easier.". Fellowships are generally programs that provide extensive long-term training. This type of training costs employees a lot of money and they want a return in their investment. Say you did get the fellowship and two years in you decided that you did not really like case management and regretted your decision. At 67 you have the option to retire or semi-retire whereas a younger person without that option might be inclined to stay. What about Case Management interest you? There are many case management and utilization management jobs with all of the major insurance companies that would probably love your critical care experience. 

 

My goal is to stay with my company as I have great benefits. Why should I feel I need to leave to be treated fairly! LOL. And I'm not 67 but 65. And even so, I don't feel as though I have a stamp on my forehead that says "expired." Like a piece of meat in the supermarket. Training costs? The program is 3 months long. They are not loosing anything. And...let me make this clear...this is discrimination. Please don't defend them. But if you insist, then come talk to me in ten years and tell me how you feel about your job in L&D. If I was black and they said, well you're probably looking to take it easy would we be OK with that? Not hired because I'm too feminine and probably gay, would we be OK with that. But age, yes many are OK with that. How old are you? Honey, you will soon find out!