Changing professions after age 50

[martymoose]

hello has anyone ( or knows someone) changed professions after age 50? Quit nursing , studied some other subject/degree?

Im curious, because I need out, but am afraid no one will hire me after age 50 , no matter what new degree I get.

Anyone know of any professions that pay like nursing?

Thanks

[ED Nurse, RN]

Because the whole job is a liability. Let's just say that I am put in a position of " liability" every shift. My coworkers feel the same way. It's quite a deep issue, and tptb have pretty much said- too bad , that's the way its going to be.

ok I'll give an example. I might have 2 cath lab pts who I hope dont bleed out, because Im too busy babysitting the confused old person who wont stay pu and is getting up literally every 30 seconds. Or said old confused person is one of the cath lab pts, and we'd rather not have them walk around with that art line in their groin, while the other 4 pts , 2 of which are on drips get ignored.

The uap can only do so much, since they are toileting the rest of the floor who are all 2 assists and bed alarms.

That is not a liability- a pt post cath lab can ring the call bell if they are bleeding, you don't sit in the room and constantly observe them. You are going straight to making a generalization about the worst that can happen in every situation- if I did that I would never go to work. A liability is if you do something to put your license in jeopardy. If you don't want to be a nurse anymore than just move on, but making generalizations to have an excuse to leave, especially when not completely accurate, is not ok. If you think you are that dangerous than you shouldn't be working as a nurse.

[Libby1987]

Home health is too much liability?

Home health requires general nursing knowledge with a need to understand reimbursement, regulations, practice in the home setting and presents a huge learning curve the first year with a different type of time mgmt (that first year pays a lot better than a year in school) The pay is respectable and the working conditions can be great, depending on the area in which you live yourself.

You being stuck is a matter of perception and self limiting.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

If you don't want to be a nurse anymore than just move on, but making generalizations to have an excuse to leave, especially when not completely accurate, is not ok. If you think you are that dangerous than you shouldn't be working as a nurse.

I don't feel dangerous- quite the opposite- I am trying to keep things safe despite not getting any support. Many of these pt's should have sitters. Especially some of the post cath confused pts who don't understand what they even had done.

I dont need an excuse to leave. That's why I had asked if others knew of other adults changing professions at a later age.

Thanks anyway.

[ED Nurse, RN]

I don't feel dangerous- quite the opposite- I am trying to keep things safe despite not getting any support. Many of these pt's should have sitters. Especially some of the post cath confused pts who don't understand what they even had done.

I dont need an excuse to leave. That's why I had asked if others knew of other adults changing professions at a later age.

Thanks anyway.

What you've described is typical of any hospital in any town- that does not make it a liability, it's your job and the job of thousands of nurses.

[Courtney Nurse Writer, BSN]

Go to a clinic and get a desk job. You will still deal with patients but not in the same sense. You will be answering phones mostly.

[Julius Seizure]

Dr. office or clinic nurse?

Ratios are sometimes better in pediatrics but its not for everybody.

[Courtney Nurse Writer, BSN]

Yes I'm sorry I meant doctors office. Granted the pay won't be good but the stress of being in the hospital is not the same.

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

I know you mentioned OR and standing - at my facility, RNs don't normally scrub, they circulate. So, for most procedures you have a nice mix of walking, running and sitting to chart. Everywhere is different, of course, but maybe don't rule it out until you find out the specifics.

The union hospitals that I'm familiar with that also use union scrub techs (like where I work now) only use RNs to scrub in an extreme pinch. So... Just something to consider.

I work cardiac too. While we only get the occasional sitter patient (especially compared to what you're describing) I know the intense stress of needing to be three places at once, emergently. I hope you find the right fresh start for your situation!

[Oedgar]

A word of caution... sometimes even being a clinic nurse is a gamble. My doc routinely refused to see pts that called in with urgent problems, blocked so much of the schedule it was hard to work people in who needed it...Erratic work habits pretty much kept the office in a frantic overload and state of chaos. I start a chart abstracting position next week. I am nervous about learning something new, but eager to have a desk job. However bad it gets, it will be NOTHING compared to what I just left. Also, a lot of folks have told me to "just go be a school nurse." I think being a school nurse carries a LOT of liability.. being the only medical person in a building with hundreds of people... diabetics, allergy kids.. no thanks. My hats off to school nurses. There is a lot more to it than the public realizes!

[Bill E Rubin]

I don't know how much this will help, but I just got my NCLEX results yesterday, a little over 3 months after my 50th birthday. I've worked in EMS since I was 20, so a few months shy of 30 years. Simply put, I ain't gonna be able to jump out of ambulances forever (not that nursing is going to be a cake walk, by any means!)

Can it be done, yes. Can it be done for the same money, probably not, though you might look at factory health clinic jobs. The factories tend to pay well, at least around where I am, and your acute patient needs would probably be fewer and farther between than in most other settings. Too, if they're that bad, you call 911 and they go to the ER after the short time you have them.

Again, I don't know if this will help, but it can't hurt to have the suggestion.

Good luck!

Bill

[Scottishtape]

I haven't read the rest of the replies, because I'm feeling lazy at the moment.

My mother in law changed careers in her late 60's from another field to the medical field. She graduated last February and still hasn't been able to find a job. She's been on tons of interviews and nobody is willing to hire her.

I don't know if this is an isolated situation, but it makes me wonder if she's not getting job offers due to her age. She's even applied to new grad positions and they aren't biting.

Just some food for thought.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

I guess school might still be an option- I still have to work 20 more years anyhow.Im sure other old adults have had to go back to school at this age.

In my case, I did -- at age 45... and came *into* nursing precisely in order to have a reasonable chance of remaining employed long enough to retire. And I'm finding it to have been a terrific decision.

Changing jobs after fifty is risky and difficult; changing careers after fifty is very, very fraught and uncertain.