Hey I'm New!

Berta · Jan 18, 2004

welcome to allnurses!!

This is a great site, I have been on it for almost six months.

I too, am a older nursing student, 35 years old.

enjoy!! berta

cadeusus2004 · Jan 18, 2004

Berta,

OK. I'm approaching 60. I know there are a lot of us that are in Nursing and working Geriatrics/Rehab. I think we are in a transition where we are seeing our former generation (The WWII) going out, with our help, and are now starting to take care of our own generation, and even the "Next Generation-ers" (our childrens' own ages of 35 and so).

In our Boomer segement of nurses, the kids are long gone and they have kids approaching teenhood. We are not winding down, just staying in at our way, the way and the places we want.

There have been some problems: Many hospitals, seeing our advanced ages, are not willing to hire us (yeah, I know its illegal, but it'd take a class action suit to change even one place, and the Justice Dept. is not the fastest or most enthusiastic about taking on our cases. That's life, I guess).

But, we can get into nursing homes and rehab facilites where most of the nurses are now LPNs and are there, among other things, to do the things their licenses will not permit them- like pronouncements, IV pushes, debridments, installing IV lines and those sorts of things. We can also get Geriatric and Alzhiemers specialty certifications. And, for the most part, the hours are still in 8 hr. shifts.

Since I now only work agency, it is even better. I call my own shots, can avoid the politics, make more shift money and make my own schedules. I'm like a travelling musician in that I have a booking agent who gets work for me and schedules me. If the client is happy with my "gig" they might invite me back. Its a win-win situation from where I stand, though not with the security of a "regular job at a hospital" a la Bob Dylan's 'working on Maggies Farm.'

Change is good.

This way I'll never have to stop working until they pry my license out of my cold dead hands. And, I get to have retirement and SS, too.

Did you hear what a nurse a year ago did? He is the first person to kyak the complete circumference of Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated place (island) on earth? The natives weren't too pleased and the island administrator wanted to jail him, except the jail hadn't been used in 20yrs. and the admin. was at the local pub too drunk to go out on a rescue mission- and the jail was already filled with marine equipment. So, they just wrapped up our shivering comrade with a blanket and fed him toddys and congratulated him on his idiotic accomplishment. He made the London Times (he's a British nurse). He could have foundered, drowned or been eaten by sharks. Cowabunga!

Berta · Jan 18, 2004

cadeusus2004 or any Mass nurse,

Nursing certainly is a changing field. I am actually looking forward to my new career. I've been in the business field since 1986 and have had enough. I have always been drawn toward nursing. In my early 20's I even did a stint as an EMT.

The one thing that I dread is trying to coordinate a shift that will work with my children's schedules. I would like to work in a hospital when I graduate. I just don't know how i am gonna do it. I just have visions of working 11-7, planning to get home to take kids to school, or whatever, then finding out I have to work mandatory overtime. Plus the daycare opens at 6am till 6pm or before school program starts at 7am and ends by 6pm. How do you plan for overtime issues???? How bad and how often do you get unscheduled/unplanned overtime?

I am thinking that until my kids are old enough to stay home alone, I am going to end up working at a doctor's office, or something more in line with "normal" work hours.

Any feedback you can provide will be helpful. Berta

cadeusus2004 · Jan 18, 2004

Many medical institutions will gladly discuss with you your priorities and needs. They need nurses. Many female RNs have the same- or like- situation as yours. Perhaps your instructors can give you good advice. Don't be afraid to ask.

There is flex time, night shift, agency (though they want experienced nurses), Per Diem and you may even try private duty.

The Red Cross may have openings for Blood Center or Pheresis. The VNA is very hard work, but it takes visiting nursing very seriously and can discuss with you what your options are.

Being a male who grew up with a widowed RN trying to raise kids, I was saddled, as was my sister (also a RN and mother who had responsibility for raising her children and taking care of a disabled husband), with a great deal of responsibility in almost raising ourselves. We were taught, early on, to feed ourselves, do our own laundry, work to make our own money, schedule our own lives and contribute to the family in every way we could. We learned to bear independence with proper responsibility. We had to be close to one another and work as a team. It didn't hurt us one bit. When we went out unto the world in our late teens (I at 17 in the military service and my sister with marriage), we were ready. We knew reality and thanked our mother for those opportunities.

Nowadays parents many times feel that they must carry the entire weight of raising their children without letting their children learn to help raise themselves, gain in maturity and independence, pay for their own mistakes and provide for their own opportunities. (I baby sat my sister when I was only seven and I think I did pretty good considering my ignorance. Other children in our poor neighborhood did, too. It was kind of natural and we didn't think it was unusual at all. It was the way things were. We didn't even recognize we were poor. All the neighborhood kids were.) But, things have changed.

If you are married then the reality is that your spouse will have to bear maybe a greater burden. But, if he can't be a good father and daddy, I don't know what to say. He'll just have to 'knuckle under' like you. If you aren't maried, don't think a boyfriend will be happy to help you do it. Its a very bad mistake.

And, it certainly doesn't hurt if you try and get whatever help you can from wherever you can. There are always sharing friendships to find in your church (if you belong to one), the government, relatives or whoever you can get to help.

Nothing is simple. And things always get harder except that your resourcefulness helps you make it seem a bit easier.

As the British Air Force states: Per Ardua ad Astra (Lt: "through adversity to the stars")