Fired After 50, Part I: What It's Like To Be A Statistic
First in a series about a nurse (me) who finds herself suddenly unemployed at age 51 and learns she is part of an alarming trend of American workers who are losing their jobs at midlife and beyond. This is a story about the new "midlife crisis", the lessons learned during the transition process, and ultimately, starting all over again at a time of life when I'd once hoped I'd get to throttle back and cruise into retirement.
Hello. My name is Marla and I'm an unemployed nurse.
There, I said it. Now's the time when everyone's supposed to shout "HI, MARLA!" and applaud. Oh, wait---that was AA, circa 1992. Oops. *blushes*
I've talked about this revolting development here on my blog before, but I had never actually felt embarrassed about it until two days ago, when I received my first unemployment benefits check. What a humbling experience that was! Even though I haven't worked since mid-June and needed the money desperately, it hurt my pride to walk into the bank and deposit a government check into my account. I swore that once I left welfare (now sixteen years ago) that I would never again darken the door of any government office until it was time to apply for Social Security. And until I lost my nursing-home job thanks to a deadly combination of a lousy economy, chronic low census, and degenerative joint problems, I had never needed to.
I've been in between jobs before, but there was always another job just around the corner......I wasn't "out of work", and I certainly didn't need to rely on public largesse to keep a roof over my family's heads during the brief interludes between the end of one job and the beginning of another. But the plain truth is---even if it's not really my fault---I AM unemployed, and the prospects for finding even a temporary position till I land my next 'real' job are few and far between.
Ironically, a temporary position was all I was looking for when I found this last job as a 3-11 charge nurse on a long-term care unit. I'd just come from a bruising experience working with an administrator whose passive-aggressive approach to work nearly separated me from my sanity; all I wanted was a job where I could hide out for awhile and nurse my wounds while still being able to eat and pay bills in the same month. In the process, I found redemption for previous career mistakes, right there in that old LTC........and even after almost two years, the old yearnings for money and power hadn't returned.
Well, fate is indeed a fickle creature, and thanks to the aforementioned trifecta of misfortune, I now find myself part of a growing---and alarming---trend in which many older Americans are being "Fired After Fifty", as AARP recently called it in a piece they did on the subject. No, we're not necessarily being hauled into the boss's office and told "don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya"; but whether it's described as getting fired, losing one's job, or being laid off/let go/shown the door/downsized/outsourced/cut back/restructured/fill in the politically correct blank, the result is the same: we are out of a job. And Lord help us in finding another one.........few companies want to hire in uncertain times, and fewer still are willing to take on, ahem, experienced workers who tend to cost more in terms of salary and benefits than their younger counterparts.
I have become something I never thought I'd be in a million years: just another statistic.
That said, I am oddly optimistic about my future, even though I'm what you might call damaged goods. I may have a case of advancing age, but I still have the education and knowledge that no one can ever take away from me. My body may be in a state of dilapidation that precludes any job requiring physical stamina, but I'm comfortable in my own skin, I can still do what I need to do to get through the day, and frankly, I think I've lifted as many 300-pounders and run as many halls as I should ever have to. (Nor is my overweight state solely to blame for it; I hear complaints all the time from fellow midlifers who are thin and fit, and yet have knee and hip problems and backaches that are as bad, if not worse than my own.) I'm also fairly intelligent, I learn things quickly, I get along with just about everyone, and I'm willing to try new things......what else could an employer possibly want, right?
We shall see, in any event. I've gotten some nibbles from the twenty or so applications and resumes I've sent out, and the interviews have now begun. Today's was interesting, especially in light of the fact that I am directionally dyslexic........and the job involves extensive in-state travel........and I got lost trying to find headquarters. Stay tuned!
Hang in there, Victoriashe - I've been in this situation before, and even we both feel pretty low, I think what we're supposed to do now is just rest for a while and care for ourselves, while collecting unemployment checks. We've cared for everybody else for a long time. I'm also downsizing, trying to sell my house, and moving to a smaller, less expensive but classier home, and getting some needed surgery. Take care, and be gentle with yourself.:hug:
I am reading your story with much interest as I am in my 40s and am making a career change into the medical field. I start LPN school in October and will move on to RN after that, working days and school at night (at least through LPN school). One of the reasons why I chose nursing was the seemingly endless list of nursing jobs that always seem to be in demand.
You mentioned the trend of older workers being let go, but does it seem like (from what you have seen) those are more experienced nurses or just older nurses in general? Obviously, I have a vested interest in your answer.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I don't want to discourage you, Michealqueen. And frankly, I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from pursuing a nursing career, because we older nurses are retiring (and yes, a lot of us are losing our jobs) and will need someone to take care of US in a few years!
There are any number of reasons why 50- and 60-something nurses are finding themselves out of work, not the least of which is a lousy economy, and IMHO some facilities are gearing up to reduce their staffs because of the coming Medicare and Medicaid cuts. My facility was particularly forward-looking in that respect, because we've already seen a drop in our census over the past year due to people putting off elective joint replacements (which are a large source of income for our skilled unit). So staffing was cut to the bone, and in my case at least, it was done by seniority. I'm not sure how much they saved by replacing me with an LPN who's been there for nearly 15 years, but I can say with confidence that it wasn't age discrimination, as she is nearing 70 and I'm 'only' in my early 50s.
Another reason is cost. Experienced nurses, especially those with broad-based experience like me, tend to be at their peak of earning power, and we are expensive to recruit and retain. Some of the jobs for which I've been interviewing pay upwards of $70K/year, which is well above average in an area where the average nursing salary is less than $50,000 per year. So obviously employers are going to want nurses who aren't quite so close to retirement age, who are "trainable" (meaning less set in their ways than, say, someone in his or her 30s/40s), and who won't cost as much in benefits (we older folks tend to utilize our health insurance more than our younger counterparts).
And yes, there IS age discrimination out there, though no employer will admit to it since it's illegal. In my last hospital job, for example, all of the leadership positions were occupied by nurses under 40, while management was doing its level best to encourage the 45-and-up RNs to quit......we were routinely given the toughest assignments, were the first to be disciplined for complaining about heavy patient loads, and in general were expected to work harder and run faster than everyone else, even though aging had slowed our steps only a bit.
FWIW, I believe nursing---like our country itself---is going through lean times that will eventually get better. They always do, and when the massive Baby Boomer generation reaches our 70s and 80s, we are going to need nursing services!
Your positive attitude is a winner, Viva. Wish I felt the same, but I'm still worrying about how to pay the mortgage. I went to school a long time ago to become a nurse, and have been back to school twice, have a masters degree, and am feeling really discouraged. I've applied and interviewed for a great job, and am waiting on a decision, but I'm wondering now if I can really handle it. I'm also wondering if they will hire someone younger and more "current." I guess it's good that there are programs like unemployment and disability, as safety nets for nurses who are no longer agile and fresh-faced from their first nursing program. The old idealism is gone, and in its place there is a feeling of "what did I do to deserve this?" After a lifetime of giving my heart and soul to nursing, working 12-16 hour shifts, floating to unfamiliar units, dealing with irate physicians and visitors, grieving over deaths, responding to and directing codes, and the endless mopping up of blood, poop, etc., I feel as if I am being dumped on the side of the road; i.e., "if you can't keep up with us, we'll leave you behind."
Wow! I'm getting kinda of nervous now, lol. I wonder if I will be able to find a job after school now...granted, I'm not in my 50's or 60's, but if they are "letting go" of people with your guy's tenure and knowledge, why would there be any hope for a newbie? Not that I am completely hopeless, because I know deep down that I will find a job in nursing one day, I just worry a little bit now.
Then again, it has everything to do with the area one lives in. Here in Cali (central valley) there are job's in nursing that have been posted up for 4+ months. Great pay too! A friend who is in the nursing program right now told me that her instructor works for Kaiser also. The instructor said that a fresh >1 year of experience makes no less than $60 and hour on her floor! And it is a 3 day work week and 12 hour days! The majority of nurses here work 36 hours a week, but their employers pay them for the full 40 hours. OT is as much as they want, and it is double time (and in the bay area it is triple time at some places).
Another friend who is an EMT and wants to become an RN said that at his hospital, nurses with >1 of experience makes $55 an hour or more...easily.
Then again, I've read that California pays the best or is one of the top three best paying states in the country (lucky me I guess). And a brand new 2500 square foot home costs about $250,000. So it is not a case of a high expense of living (here in the central valley), therefore a high salary. It is just the RN's here are in such high demand. So maybe you guys should move to California!
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
That's where I come from, Mandalore (originally from the San Diego area), and believe me, I've thought about moving back. But where I'm from, the cost of living is outrageous, it's way too crowded, and the traffic is horrendous..........don't think I can handle that anymore. And sorry, but the Central Valley is too darned flat and too blasted hot to be habitable. Nice suggestion though. :)
No, my family is here, my church and my friends and my home are all here, and so I will remain, for better or worse.
Yeah, I cannot stand the central valley. It is too hot (supposed to be 106 degrees tomorrow!) and too boring. Not to mention, the air quality is terrible here. But there is high demand here and the money is good.
But home is where the heart is and if your heart is with your family and church friends, then it is for the best to be there right? I wouldn't want to leave everything I knew just because of work (although some do, which sometimes has to happen).
I think, an important aspect of the story is missing.
When you say you "lost" your job, were you let go or did you quit or were you fired?
It's an important distinction to make.
If you are over 50, that is a protected social class for obvious reasons and employers have to have a mountain of evidence in order to let someone go of that age group.
If you quit, then let it be a lesson that anyone of that age, will be hard pressed to find a job. My uncle was just below the CFO of a major financial corporation, at 54, he thought he could write his own ticket and left a 6-figure job...and was almost financially ruined until he found another one.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I was demoted from my fulltime charge nurse position to on-call status, with 6-7 charge shifts per month. This was done to several other nurses as well, because of cutbacks in staffing due to chronic low-census issues over the past 12 months. This basically had the effect of making me unemployed because they are not using the on-call nurses, and since I can no longer physically do floor nursing because of osteoarthritis, I'd have had to quit anyway even if census went through the ceiling and stayed there.
As it stands right now, I'm on FMLA and unemployment insurance, which is giving me a bit of breathing room while I bust my buns looking for a new job. I'm getting calls and interviews; now we'll see what happens. I'm not giving up yet. :)
In reply to BabyLady, who has less than one year of experience, we older nurses know quite well what happens when you quit a job. Oh, you thought we were stupid and didn't know that? I had my first nursing job probably long before you were born. I was holding on to this job for dear life. I was asked to resign. They didn't have grounds to fire me, but they wanted me out. So they offered me a different type of work, reporting to the same boss who was asking me to resign! In other words, they made it nearly impossible to stay. When you have a few more years under your belt, then you too may find that your experience is not at all respected by a younger boss, or one who is new to the profession.
I am not in this position because I wanted to be. It amazes me that you have the audacity to think so. The nicest thing you could do is to try and have some respect for the older nurses with whom you work. Yes, they do know more than you do. And it's hell to get old. Have some compassion, for goodness sake.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
OK, everybody, now simmer down......no :argue: necessary here.
As I think I've mentioned, this wasn't a case of age discrimination: the LPN who was awarded my position is nearly 70 years old. What she had on me was 15 years' seniority, and I suspect she earns a bit less than I did, even though she's been there forever. It's a 135-bed facility that's only 2/3 occupied at best; most of the time it's at half capacity or less. And most of the nurses have been working there for five years or more---some have been there since the 1970s. So with less than two years under my belt, I had very little seniority.
I'm not really complaining about HOW I lost my job. I busted my butt, rarely called in sick, ran the unit well and never left messes for the oncoming shift. I was popular with the aides and other nurses, as well as management; it was just a matter of rotten luck and a forward-thinking administrator who figured that the coming Medicare and Medicaid cuts would decimate the facility's bottom line. My conscience is clear, I took good care of my residents and looked out for them even when no one else was. Now the nurses are working twice as hard for the same pay, and the inevitable lapses in care are already causing trouble; perhaps this truly IS a blessing in disguise.
I had my first nursing job probably long before you were born. I was holding on to this job for dear life. I was asked to resign. They didn't have grounds to fire me, but they wanted me out. So they offered me a different type of work, reporting to the same boss who was asking me to resign! In other words, they made it nearly impossible to stay. When you have a few more years under your belt, then you too may find that your experience is not at all respected by a younger boss, or one who is new to the profession.
azureblue
26 Posts
Hang in there, Victoriashe - I've been in this situation before, and even we both feel pretty low, I think what we're supposed to do now is just rest for a while and care for ourselves, while collecting unemployment checks. We've cared for everybody else for a long time. I'm also downsizing, trying to sell my house, and moving to a smaller, less expensive but classier home, and getting some needed surgery. Take care, and be gentle with yourself.:hug: