Agism in nursing???? (furious rant potential)

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

I gave up just short of $1,000 in pay in order to attend an internship fair at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas in October. I dressed up, polished up my resume, made a bunch of copies. I shook hands, smiled, made eye contact, got a lot of encouragement, all the managers I spoke with said they were interested in me. Looked me right in the eye when they said it too.

Let's look at what I have (had) to offer:

By the time the internships start, I'll have a solid year of hospital experience. I volunteer at a community clinic, and I am taking Spanish in order to increase my ability to care for my Spanish-only patients.

I have an exceptionally good evaluation from my first supervisor, with complimentary remarks. I also have written praises from patients, maybe 15 or so that I can actually lay my hands on. Two supervisors and a handful of experienced RN coworkers have enthusiastically agreed to serve as references for me.

I graduated with a 4.0 in nursing from a college that is one of the 7 identified by the ANA for excellence in nursing education.

I have a bachelor's degree and a master's from my prenursing days. I am a dually licensed professional (in psychotherapy). I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the bachelor's program, which was at a well known and well thought-of nearby state university.

Interestingly, I didn't get so much as an interview or the courtesy of a letter saying they weren't interested.

Gee, could it be because I'm not a 25 year old fresh out of school?

As it happens, I'm 52. My friend who went with me to the fair is 48, and they didn't bother giving her the time of day when it was all over with either. We both look pretty good for our ages. Not that that should matter.

I don't have a criminal record, never been arrested, never have done anything criminal that would have gotten me arrested!

Anybody else experiencing age-ism in nursing? Is there anybody out there who has successfully sued over it? I'm contemplating legal action and would love to hear from anyone with similar experiences, especially if you are in the Dallas area and know of an attorney adept and interested.....

Thanks. :angryfire

[gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP]

the very best must be to have both kinds of nurses working together!

ABSOLUTELY!!!

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

This is just as much an example of age-ism as me (24) saying that I am a better nurse than those who are over 50 because I am faster and smarter (or whatever reason). ...You are displaying just as much age discrimination as you claim you are against.

You make some good points. Good nurses are good nurses, period. Some of the twenty-something new grads I work with are very good nurses, and their knees aren't swollen at the end of a 12hr shift. Many of my co-workers with several years of experience are much younger than I am, and I frequently rely upon them for advice.

Please do be patient, though, when we oldsters go on about the advantages of maturity, life-experience, or whatever. These are indeed advantages, but they, too, are somewhat independent of age. I had lived a lot, and I think I was pretty mature, at 24. I'm wiser, now, than I was, then, but I have seen a few old fools, too. But please understand that while some of us may not speak of the advantages of youth, we remember them all too well.

[NurseJacqui]

You are also a brand new nurse. Some hospitals are looking for someone with more experience. It may not necessarily be a personal thing.It seems to me that nowadays if people don't immediately get their way, they immediately cry discrimination. Maybe there was someone else who was more qualified than you. You can have a gazillion degrees but some employers still prefer the experience over the piece of paper. Someone else may have had both the degrees AND the experience.

[NurseJacqui]

Also too ..you are 52 and maybe they are looking for a 20 year old who is not going to be retiring in the next 15 years. Maybe not fair to you, but sometimes in the minds of an employer its more practical.

[NurseJacqui]

How do you know about the qualifications of the other people they hired? You still dont have much nursing experience. I understand this is upsetting to you but I would just let it go and apply somewhere else.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

Also too ..you are 52 and maybe they are looking for a 20 year old who is not going to be retiring in the next 15 years. Maybe not fair to you, but sometimes in the minds of an employer its more practical.

While it's certainly possible the OP was not a victim of age discrimination, this particular argument definitely is, and it isn't just unfair, it's illegal. Nor is it all that practical (regardless what an employer may imagine) since that 20-something is no more likely than a 50-something to still be there in 15 years. Nurses move around a lot.

[Drysolong]

While it's certainly possible the OP was not a victim of age discrimination, this particular argument definitely is, and it isn't just unfair, it's illegal. Nor is it all that practical (regardless what an employer may imagine) since that 20-something is no more likely than a 50-something to still be there in 15 years. Nurses move around a lot.

I think you make a very good point here!