Discrimination against nurse older 45 years old

gwenith, BSN, RN · Oct 5, 2006

No - I am over 45 and at present the shortage is so acute that they would probably hire someone over 95!!!

xng · Oct 5, 2006

No - I am over 45 and at present the shortage is so acute that they would probably hire someone over 95!!!

Thanks for the reply.

But if the shortage is so acute, is there any chance of the australian government waiving the 45 years old criteria for permanent residency visa for matured nurses ?

aureliey · Oct 5, 2006

Have you encountered any discrimination against nurses older than 45 years old in Australia ? Please contribute your experiences here.

45 is discriminated against in Australia?? That seems harsh, and 45 is not that old. In the U.S. the average age of most nurses is over 40. A 2000 study showed the average age of RNs was 45.2. I thought the U.S. had a lot of age discrimination, but that usually occurs over the age of 60 (seniors).

People are living longer now, past 80, 90, so 45 is still relatively young!

greatshakes · Oct 5, 2006

Gwenith

Maybe you are in a specialised field and do very werll at it but I have felt a great deal of discrimination and even at Uni I was asked if I wasn't selfish being there and preventing someone younger from succeeding. Maybe that's why I dig the heels in.

After not having any success with grad programs I am sure they see me and think older...slower. They just don't come out and say it and if you feel that they'd hire someone at 95 and I'm still waiting, it doesn't really make my day. To answer the original question yes discrimination is alive and well in some places .

greatshakes · Oct 5, 2006

Oh and incidently I am almost 58. a few years older than 45 but I walk quickly and I work quickly.

Grace Oz · Oct 5, 2006

I was once advised by a DON to ensure I was set up in a position by the time I was 40. Her view was; after 40 you are less likely to be employed. Especially if you were competing against younger nurses for the job.

My experience has been that if you are qualified in a specialist area, age is rarely a barrier to obtaining a position. But I agree, there is discrimination out there in some places.

I think the original poster is mostly talking about being granted a visa in order to migrate to Australia though. Obviously there's an age limit for migration/work visa's.

Grace Oz · Oct 5, 2006

PS: Good for you Hassled for sticking to your studies! Amazing isn't it, they say we should continue to use our brains as we get older. Yet here's you, using yours and being criticised for it! :rolleyes:

What younger people need to understand is that life has a way of changing, for each and everyone of us. Sometimes we embark on things at a later age than others might have done. Many people change careers later in life. And, not always by choice!

I wish you all the very best and hope you are able to obtain a grad programme soon.

Cheers............

karynfrances · Oct 6, 2006

On our ward we have one permanent nurse under thirty (other than our grad nurse who is 20) we have one nurse in his thirties and most of us are in our forties a with a few in their fifties and a couple have reached 60. So no there is no age discrimination in our unit or they'd have no staff!!

greatshakes · Oct 7, 2006

Thanks Graceoz

you've made:monkeydance: my day

Grace Oz · Oct 8, 2006

You're more than welcome, Hassled! I hope things work out soon for you. Hang in there, believe in yourself and know that at the right time, space, sequence, it'll all come together for you as it's meant to. (((hug)))

Cheers............

greatshakes · Oct 11, 2006

Hi Grace & others.

Last week I rang a hospital that I had applied to some time ago after I heard by accident that they were conducting interviews for graduates this week. I basically asked why I had not heard from them regarding an interview. That afternoon I received a call asking to confirm a time for the interview. Would I have been called had I not rung? As interviews go, I felt it went well. The problem is now if I do get a place Centrelink will whisk away my widow's pension if I earn too much. The grad program is full time. Isn't life a puzzle?. We pay taxes and for education then when the chance to get out and work finally comes up we are restricted to earning $770 a fortnight. Only so much of your wage can be salary sacrificed it seems. I am really angry. If I was a single mum happy to have a child to a different father every year or I didn't want to work and turned up to look for work looking scruffy and therefore not being hired, I'd be on easy street but because I am now officially a widow and am dying to get out and learn more in the workplace, I am only allowed to work x number of hours...bugger!!! I'll find out tomorrow if I was lucky or not. If I am successful with the interview I lose the pension and can not go back onto it if the grad program proves too much or it doesn't work out. Yet I find other options as an RN closed to me because I finished my prac last year and I think it relates to my age and was actually told when enquiring about a part time level 1 RN transition program that, they feel that an RN who isn't a grad might take more time. Talk about being in a catch 22 situation. In the meantime I have lined up some work in an aged care facility on a part time basis but I don't want that to be the be all and end all. I just felt it might help me with time management and other aspects in the interim. It shouldn't hurt I guess but I am scared I may be trapped and unable to ever get into a surgical area with some mentoring and support and all new nurses need that. Any suggestions.

I used to hear people complain about Centrelink, now I know why some people feel inclined to cheat. Anyone else have similar issues re centrelink?