Having trouble fitting in

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I have a question for older nurses. I've been a nurse for 2 years, and I'm in my fifties. I really enjoy working with the nurses on my floor, but I feel sometimes like I don't fit in. Let's face it, I'm old enough to be the mother of most of them!

Do any of you older nurses have similar feelings or am I being paranoid?

My unit is mostly women old enough to be my mother, and then girls that are younger than my baby sister. There's only a few of us in our 30s. I just make a joke of it. Taunt the "old ladies" and play big sister to the younguns.

For me, age isn't the biggest factor in getting along. Similar work values are more important.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

over the years, i've noticed that the nurses i work with are getting younger and younger! i work in a fairly young unit -- we have a constant stream of new grads coming in to get the minimum icu experience they can have before going to anesthesia school, and most of them seemingly couldn't care less about doing a good job while they're in the icu. i don't feel as though i fit in, either. and i don't -- when they're talking about parties and facebook, etc. when i'm in the conversation i'll gently steer it toward something we can all discuss -- current events, but you don't really have to fit in and be friends with the group in order to forge good working relationships. all that's really necessary is some mutual respect.

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I feel like this occasionally on my unit also, and yet, sometimes I think all the youngins' really like having me around for a lot of reasons. I listen to them, I'm laid back, and not catty, and I've learned to go along with their jokes and their way of having fun. I'm also pretty humorous myself, so I think I just keep them laughing a lot --and they like that. I feel I and some of my older cohorts on the unit really ADD to the camraderie of the unit and keep things FUN, and actually prevent things from sliding into constant high school snottiness. A lot of them come to my for advice about their love lives, their future plans, etc. It's sweet. I mean -- SOME of them are truly snotty and clueless -- and yes, very annoying. But I just ignore those types and do my thing.

I've made pretty good friends among them, actually -- even gone out with them "on the town" once or twice and we all had SUCH a good time. They got a total kick out of ME dancing and partying among them -- it was too funny! In some ways, you just have to learn to laugh at yourself also and go with it.

But I know what you mean about SOME of them just not being so nice. I find that the ones who are like this are just nasty PEOPLE in general, and no matter what age they are -- they're going to be like that. They will likely grow up to be nasty older adults, and heaven help them. :uhoh3: I also remind some of them that they will be MY age in exactly the same amount of time it took me to get to my age -- yes, that's right honey -- you WILL be 40 someday -- so you'd better cultivate something OTHER than your looks and your hot bod!

I do feel, sometimes, that I'm alone in my personal problems -- many of them don't "get" what it's like to have raised a family, to have been married a long time, to have lots of bills to pay -- real responsibilities, etc. A lot of times I want so badly to give them advice, but I have to hold my tongue. :rolleyes: I am constantly encouraging them to just get ON with their lives -- GET married, HAVE those kids -- come on -- live life! So many of them seem to just delay and delay ....

But, I'm 47, so I'm sort of in the middle. I have to say I enjoy working w/ many of these younger people -- it keeps ME young and keeps me laughing!

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Specializes in LTC.
As an added bonus, they taught me how to text!

laugh1.gif My kids taught me how to test too.

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I'm 57 and have been an LPN for 10 years. I can say that in most doctors offices that I have worked in I was usually the oldest person in the office - usually even older than the Dr. Most of the young people don't seem to have the tolerance for us mature nurses - the young ones all band together and act like they know it all and don't need the help of anyone our age. I would probably suggest a larger environment like a hospital where you will work with a variety of ages. Good luck.

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Specializes in Level 1, Level 2, Level 4 trauma and med.

This has been a topic recently in our nurses station. What happened to the work ethic?? The fact is there is a generation gap going on in nursing these days. I'm "old school," which means professionalism has been drilled into me. As has accountability, work ethic, organizational skills, etc. The younger generations comes to work with the idea of, lets have fun at work, texting, checking their facebook on their cell phones, just more focused on setting up and reviewing their party life, then the task at hand. Pt care should be the priority, but I don't see that happening. When I see a co-worker walk into the nurses station and plugin their cell phones to charge, I just chringe!! It's worse enough when patients come into the ER and plug their phones in, but co-workers...it's just plain wrong. And i don't get it, that they don't get it...hince the generation gap!

Now most hospitals have had to block the Facebooks, and other social web pages. Soon the cell phones will be not allowed. It needs to be done ASAP!

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