Aging Nurses - Where do we go?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Where should aging nurses go if they can't keep up with young, new grads?

    • 224
      Keep trying regular jobs
    • 130
      Retire
    • 336
      Start your own unique nursing business
    • 897
      Be vocal and suggest options
    • 166
      Change to a different career

1,753 members have participated

I am an aging nurse (50) who can't really keep up with the young new grads. Why can't there be a nurse company (or hospital or nursing home or staffing agency) that employs such nurses that will work for less money and do less stressful/multi-tasking nursing jobs? I mean we are still valuable. Seems like money and doing things in a rush are what employers want but everywhere is so short staffed. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone or anywhere; I just think we are resources that are not being utilized. Thoughts please?

Specializes in Utilization Review, Critical Care, OR, SNF.

Yikes, I didn't know I was old at 52? My body ain't what it used to be, I can't work six 12s in a row (nights) and pop up and go skiing the next day. However, I moved on to something that didn't break my body--I work 8-10 hrs a day as a case manager--oh, and there's the 12 hours I work on my 6th day on the floor, so I won't lose my skills. Yeah, I hurt on Monday morning, but I think I've found a good balance.

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Specializes in ER, ICU/CCU, Open Heart OR Recovery, Etc.

sailor nurse: I used to laugh at the nurses that called themselves Crusty Old Bats. Now I am one, and I love it!

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When I worked for a travel Medicare auditor we had nurses traveling with us. They got meals/housing/travel expenses paid for and worked 9-5 doing chart review. They still cleared over 1K per week (which was more than some of them made coming from Iowa and the South in a clinical setting) Most of them were 55 and older.

I am in NS now and during clinical we have this one LPN who is ahhhhhmazing! She's got to be in her mid-late 70's and juggles 5 pts. on a medical floor. She is a site to see. I am turning 30 next year/graduating @ 30 as well and often fret that I will only have 10-15 years of "peak" earnings as a nurse, but seeing her reminds me that if I take care of myself I might be able to parlay this into a 30 year career.

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Since when is 50 old? I went to school with people in their 50's and late 40's going into nursing as a second career, and I never thought once, "they're too old for this". It is all in the mind in my opinion. HOwever, I do think that bedside nursing can get a bit rough for anyone long term, depending on the unit. Perhaps look into case management jobs. Those jobs usually require and desire experience. Insurance companies hire nurses for these positions (BCBS). THere are consulting jobs, education opportunities, travel (if that's your cup of tea).....so many options.

Don't settle for less. If you see nothing that interests you, think outside the box and perhaps you can develop something new. Sky is the limit....

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When I see some of our patients, 50 is old for some people.

Long-term stress, poor life choices, health problems and giving up will age a person beyond their years.

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When I see some of our patients, 50 is old for some people.

Long-term stress, poor life choices, health problems and giving up will age a person beyond their years.

Good point.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

I wish there was an ideal job for us over 50 crowd. The hospital is rough, but I have returned to it. I pretty much get too depressed about LTC, homecare hasn't worked for me, and I don't think I'd care for MD's office as a nurse. Not too much else out there. Haven't been able to find a non-nursing job. I think people/employers, the ones that do the hiring- think it's odd when a RN applies for other types of work. So, I am trying to hang in there.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
When I see some of our patients, 50 is old for some people.

Long-term stress, poor life choices, health problems and giving up will age a person beyond their years.

I think it's a little more than that and more complicated. When we are over 50, we are just not as full of energy as we were in our 30's or even 40's. We may start to have medical problems that have nothing to do with poor life choices.

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Specializes in Hospice.

This pretty much says it, much as we would like to think that we still have the get up and go we did when we were 20 (I'm talking about nurses who are now coming up on their 4th decade of practice and spent the majority of it at the bedside, hauling dead weight patients around by themselves because there was no one available to help, NOT "second career" nurses who may be in their 50s but have only been out of school a few years).

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I have been a nurse a little over three years. I sympathize for older nurses because the workforce has changed. Young nurses like myself immediately start grad school and go after different jobs from the start. If you are older and never pursued this type of stuff from a younger age, you are discrimminated against like you are some kind of idiot because you reamained a "mere" staff nurse for so long. Its pretty messed up.

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NursesRMoFun - have u considered legal field? Medmalpractice lawyers love to land a former RN & the pay is great! I'm 54 & sick of legal - going into nursing [emoji3]

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