Age of Nurse = Level of Experience? Or Not?? The survey says...

[allnurses]

It is interesting to see the demographics of nursing changing, including average age, gender, ethnicity etc., and there are several reasons for that. In looking at some of the results from the allnurses 2017 Interactive Salary Survey, we can see a change, but do the results leave us with more questions than answers???

The 2017 allnurses Salary Survey asked questions about nurse's age, years as a nurse, and years of experience. It is interesting to compare the current data provided by more than 18,000 respondents to data from the past. Looking back in time, we are able to see from a study conducted in 1980 that 25% of registered nurses were over 50 years old. By 2000 33% were over age 50, and in 2007 the numbers rose to 41% of RNs were over 50 years of age. In the allnurses 2017 interactive study, results show that 30% of nurse respondents are over 50 years old. Why the drop? Are aging Baby Boomers leaving the workforce? Are nurses retiring early? Are they leaving the nursing workforce for other careers? Leaving to care for aging parents?

Now, let's look at the opposite end of the spectrum. In 1980 25% of nurses were under age 25, but by 2007 that number drastically dropped to only 8% under 30 years old. Our 2017 survey shows that approximately 16% or our respondents were under the age of 30 with 4% under the age of 25. This presents an interesting question? In 2007 there are the least number of nurses under 30 and the greatest number over 50. The largest percentage, 54%, of respondents in the 2017 allnurses survey fall in the 30 - 50 age range. Does the shift have to do with age entering into nursing as a career? In other words, were there more nurses choosing nursing as a second career or career change? What factors may be playing into the drop in nurses entering nursing under the age of 30?

Part of the equation seems to be the age of nurses when they graduate nursing school as their INITIAL education. We have some statistics showing that in 1985 the average age of the registered nursing school graduate was 24 years old. By 2004 that number jumps to 31 years old.

Additionally, many students obtaining an RN license have initially earned a different academic degree before deciding to enter the nursing field. During the years from 2000 to 2008, the percentage of RN candidates having earned previous degrees rose from 13.3 percent to 21.7 percent. The increase in the number of second-career students entering the nursing profession would help account for the increase in age of nurses with fewer years' experience.

When we compare the years of experience as a nurse from our allnurses 2015 study to the 2017 study we see age does not seem to correlate directly to number of years of experience. In the 2015 results, 62% of nurses had less than 10 years of experience as compared to the 2017 results showing the number has dropped to 56% having less than 10 years experience. As one would expect the numbers have increased in years of experience between 11-20 years (a 3 point increase), 21-35 (2 point increase), and 35+(up 1 point) since the 2015 survey.

There are so many variables to factor into these statistics, and it will be interesting to see if the entire 2017 allnurses survey answers or leaves more questions. As we can see, the average age of registered nurses is increasing yet the number of years as a nurse or years of experience does not reflect the age increase. When a younger friend of mine graduated nursing school with her BSN in 1993 their graduating class had a greater number of second career, or mothers that raised children prior to attending nursing school, than those of us coming straight out of high school into college.

What have you new grads been seeing? This year's survey did not ask how many of you entered nursing as a second career or how old you were when you graduated, but we would love to get your input on that, and any other variables you think contribute to the statistics.

The results of the 2017 allnurses Salary Survey will be posted soon.

Resources:

2015 National Nursing Workforce Study NCSBN.org

2015 allnurses Salary Survey Results

NLN Biennial Survey of Schools of Nursing, 2014

Non-Traditional Nursing Students Take Non-Traditional Pathways

[JinnSchlajfertig]

feelix said:

Try getting hired in a floor job after 50. One reason nurses disappear.

Or move to corrections. So many of the nurses in corrections are older. I'm a young 'un at my site and I'm 41.

[kk1962]

Hello...just wanted to contribute to your survey as the outlier in your statistics! I just received my BSN at age 54 (young for my age ;-) I graduated Cum Laude, and I am planning to pass the NCLEX and have a job by September! My cohort was in their 20s and 30s. I hope I don't run into ageism - forget retirement!

[Lrouse1101]

When you are older and your children are grown it's easier because you now have the time to devote to studying. I'm 60 and I'm in an LPN program. I love it and I'm so excited to be changing careers to become a nurse!

[pkemp]

I'd like to jump in on this conversation. I am above 55 years old and am going back to school to become an RN and eventually will go on to become a NP. This will be a second career for me as I have spent the last x-number of years in the business world. I have a B.S. degree is business and an MBA, worked for an investment firm and part-time taught business at the university level.

I made the decision to leave the business world and to go into a field where I see an incredible need and a field that greatly interests me.

I am not afraid of ageism. I've done a lot of research on this subject. Institutions that hold that against you - you don't want to work for or in anyway. I am in excellent health and plan to work for the next 30 years, and use as an example my Aunt who is 83 years old. She is the head nurse of surgery at the trauma center in her community, works full-time, and mentors new nurses.

I am looking forward to becoming a nurse and it is my desire to be an inspiration to other people my age, those younger than me and those older than me.

Best of luck to all you.

[saraleigh, ASN, RN]

I am 36 years old. Nursing is my 2nd career; in my former life I worked in marketing/advertising. I have been working as an LVN since 2012 in several specialties. 3 weeks ago I completed my ADN; just waiting for my ATT...

[BedsideNurse]

JinnSchlajfertig said:

Or move to corrections. So many of the nurses in corrections are older. I'm a young 'un at my site and I'm 41.

So PACU isn't the only place old ICU nurses go?

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

pkemp said:

I'd like to jump in on this conversation. I am above 55 years old and am going back to school to become an RN and eventually will go on to become a NP. This will be a second career for me as I have spent the last x-number of years in the business world. I have a B.S. degree is business and an MBA, worked for an investment firm and part-time taught business at the university level.

I made the decision to leave the business world and to go into a field where I see an incredible need and a field that greatly interests me.

I am not afraid of ageism. I've done a lot of research on this subject. Institutions that hold that against you - you don't want to work for or in anyway. I am in excellent health and plan to work for the next 30 years, and use as an example my Aunt who is 83 years old. She is the head nurse of surgery at the trauma center in her community, works full-time, and mentors new nurses.

I am looking forward to becoming a nurse and it is my desire to be an inspiration to other people my age, those younger than me and those older than me.

Best of luck to all you.

I agree with your ageism remark. Sure, it's just a study but we aren't suppose to be concentrating on age. Why inlcude age. Is that for the nursing shortage we never had, or so the libs can free up more foreign visas so more foriegn nurses can flood the market like Obama did (nothing against foreign nurses). As for stats...any educated person can tell you about that. Identity politics. I'm suprised it's not grouped by race and genders.

Anyway; I want to run over and shake your hand (and KK1962). The oldest person in my BSN program was 56. Most of us were in our 30's. I was 34 when I went back to school. Now I will go for my JD. Nursing wasn't a chosen for me. It just happened. I have learned much, but will now do what I really always wanted to do. Good on you guys.

I have a friend who is 85 and day charge at her place. No one knows her age (they all think she's 50 something). She shows no signs of slowing down. I love health. The mind is a powerful thing. You are literally what you think. I can feel the excitement and commitment from your words...inspiring ?

[Gizmopup1]

This was my thought as well. Even though the author denies this article has a negative tone towards a large population of older new nurses coming into the field late in life, why even bring it up?

We aren't supposed to be assuming anything about age, race, gender anyway, so why assume older nurses would have 10+ years experience or that nursing has been their only career choice?

[pkemp]

What beautiful responses I have received. Thank you and I'm proud of each of you as well and not only want to shake hands, but also want to extend cyber-space hugs. I love health care too and believe I have much to offer my patients and fellow nurses. My commitment is to always be there to offer a great deal of support and two ears to listen. Best of luck on your JD - very interesting career path.

[3ringnursing, BSN]

I had another career first that didn't pan out, and went back to school to finish pre-req's at 23 y.o. I put my nose to the grindstone, and worked my fanny off - I graduated by 26 y.o., and turned 27 before I took the last pencil and paper NCLEX.

I didn't realize at the time how majorly lucky I was to get accepted immediately into a nursing program - other people who were younger from the community college I did all my prerequisites at weren't so blessed. When it was time to apply for transfer to the university nursing program they ended up on a long wait list - a few changed majors because of the wait time.

I have no idea why I won the the admittance lottery at the time, and didn't even know any better to be grateful right away. I am not the type of person who is inherently lucky per se - once I did realize that there was only 30 spots a semester for entering hopeful nursing students I sure thanked every higher power I could think of (and maybe made up a few to thank too). I really feel it was just chance that I was accepted right away, nothing outstanding about me personally.

I was mid range in age bracket in my class in nursing school - there were many that were 19-20, a few my age who were a bit older, and some in the 30-40's age group. We represented all different groups socially, but women were much higher in presence than the men at that time - maybe 3-5 total in our incoming group in fall of 1991. We lost one once we started ICU rotation, as he said it just wasn't for him.

Our group were caucasians, latino's of many different areas of the map, native American's, and a variety of asian and pacific islanders, but one thing I do remember thinking to myself: where are the black folks? We didn't have a single person in our group, and I thought that was very odd.

[Trick50]

I left institutionalize nursing over 15 years ago. Young nurses in charge killing patients with the consent of management throwing the nursing process out the window with the baby and the bath water...I'm independent with my working paragram. Thank you.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Age is important in a survey to help determine how long nurses plan to work. Its not meant to be a bias but rather a yardstick.