Anyone pushing 50 and a recent grad??

blaaveispiken · Aug 31, 2006

Don't worry about finding a job -- you'll have plenty of offers! I'm older than you are and was worried about finding a job too because of my age(just graduated in June).

I started filling out applications in May and had interviews within just a few days after turning in my apps -- I couldn't believe it! I accepted a position in May at a hospital which I just started this month. So far so good, but I've been mostly in class orientation -- I had my first day on the floor this week.

Hang in there -- you'll make it and you'll find many job opportunities out there! The nursing shortage is very real.....

suzy253, RN · Aug 31, 2006

I pushed 50 right up to 53 and am a new grad and new RN. :wink2: Diploma program grad here and the hospital where we did most of our clinicals offer incentives to new grads (tuition refund) so I started as a grad nurse about 1 mo after graduation, took the NCLEX and am now an RN. Unbelievable.

I think we can be a bit more tolerant of the range of personalities that you encounter. I chose a position where I work 24-hr week which is very manageable at my age and I'm still learning a lot....never stop learning that's for sure.

P.S. Not all of my fellow grads are working at the same hospital; some were hired at magnet hospitals & level 1 trauma centers so the employment wasn't limited in any way.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2006

I'm not sure if I'm pushing 50 or it's pushing me, but had no trouble finding a job. And I seem to be keeping up with the kids just fine. They can run faster than me, but I have more life experience.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2006

I'm not sure if I'm pushing 50 or it's pushing me, but had no trouble finding a job. And I seem to be keeping up with the kids just fine. They can run faster than me, but I have more life experience.

I got my RN at age 46, now I'm 50 and I can keep up with the youngest of them until 1930. They go out and party knowing they're working again the next day.....I go home to bed knowing I'm off the next day. I was an LPN for 26 years prior to getting my RN. I cannot imagine starting my career as a new nurse pushing 50. I admire you guys immensely. I'm home today, called in, don't feel good, got a Hep B reaction. I could have worked today had I a 8 hour office job. 12 hours at the hospital today, forget it.

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2006

I ws 51 when I graduated. Age was never an issue. They saw a warm breathing body capable of supporting the letters "RN" behind my name. That's all they're looking for.

MQ Edna · Aug 31, 2006

I graduated August '05 at age 44. Had 3 simultaneous job offers right out of school, no problem! No age discrimination in getting hired . . .but also . . .no age discrimination in scheduling either. What I mean is . . .even though you are more "seasoned" age wise . . .you will get placed in an entry level job with entry level hours, meaning you will most likely be swinging shifts and working every other weekend or working more evenings/nights than days (at most places). 12 hour night shifts can be a little more taxing on us "middle-agers" than the younger nurses, but if there is no flexibility after you have put in a year or so, then with a little experience under your belt, there will be more jobs awaiting you out there!

Another thing I have encountered as a middle-aged new grad is the assumption by some that I have been a nurse for 20 years or so! You will have to explain your new nurse status to doctors and residents who assume you have years under your belt and to agency or float nurses (who don't know you like the regular staff) who get a scared expression when you ask basic questions or for clarification during report that they assume is just "old-hat" to you.

But, perhaps the funnest part of being the "older new grad", is when patients ask "how long have you been a nurse". I was a little tentative about this at first, but now I just say "a little more than a year" and then I explain that I was a stay at home mom for 18 years and decided to go back to school for nursing, that this is my first job out of college and that I love it. I have yet to get one negative response to this! As a matter of fact I have had a couple of women patients (who where close to my age) say, "I've always wanted to be a nurse", who were encouraged to see someone their own age actually doing it.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Aug 31, 2006

Graduated at 53 and still going strong 4 years later. :)

You will have NO PROBLEM finding employment. Wish you the best! :balloons:

youngatheart · Aug 31, 2006

Graduated this May. Am 46 years old. I really think that I have an advantage over younger grads with life experience. I don't think I would have been able to handle the fast crazy pace of nursing if i were younger. I would have been overwhelmed and intimidated by others.

truern · Sep 1, 2006

Pinning was May 3rd and my 51st birthday was May 14th :monkeydance:

I had NO problem getting a job...as a matter of fact, I was hired to work days on the floor where I did my last clinical semester.

GrummRN · Sep 1, 2006

I will be 54 on the 3rd of Sept. Graduated in May 06 with my BSN (2nd degree); still have lots to learn, but not doing bad. When I did my preceptorship in Spring, the hospital offered me a PRN job (already had another job lined up). I do both and love them both!

K98 · Sep 1, 2006

I'm 47, retired after 25 years at my first career, and a new RN in the SICU at a major teaching hospital. It's been great.