hiring older nurses

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I see many threads of students in their 30s and up asking if they are too old to go back to school, change careers, etc. The answer is no.

I've also seen threads where older nurses couldn't find jobs and they believe it is their age. Does anybody know how employeers feel about age?

I'm just curious and asking because I'm sure other people have wondered as well.

I worked with a manager who was a year or so younger than me. At the time, I'd say she was 45ish. She did not like anyone who was a peer age or experience wise. She told some pretty outlandish stories in which she was always the "saviour.". She loved to hire early twenty somethings for the local community college. She "promoted" one of the youngsters to a permanent charge nurse position who had to be trained to be in charge, because she had never done it before her promotion. This "Florence Nightingale" saw the "potential" in this nurse and other youngsters. This NM was a self described "transformational leader," though I would consider her more of a narcissistic nut case!

People from all ages and backgrounds bring a lot of strengths and some problems, too. I like to work with a wide range of ages. I have learned a lot from nurses who were both older and younger than me with less or more experience. I think a manger who tries to hire a certain "type" of nurse whether or not it is age or some other attribute, perhaps besides, reliable, does so to the detriment of the unit.

Personally, I think she was very vain and the thought that she too was getting old was abhorrent to her. I think she aligned herself with the younger staff to feel young and because they were, at least initially, impressed with her. Anyone with more than a couple of years experience soon had her number and it was a big ZERO!

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Can't speak as someone who hires, but I love working with older nurses. I'm talking 50, 60 and 70 years old. They seem to care more and are concerned about their job. They are less likely to judge a question or have an attitude. Also, they are experienced to the point of not making you feel stupid for asking a question.

I love when my employer hires older nurses.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
I graduated nursing school at 48 and didn't have a real problem getting a job, despite the fact that I applied almost exclusively for NICU jobs..

Ahhh, that explains your username!

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This post has made me feel better about my prospects. I am 42 and about to re-enter nursing after 20+ years of being out of the field. I am probably too old for hospital work. Younger nurses are just that: young, full of energy and tireless, which makes them just the right stuff for demanding corporate hospitals :yes:

Give them 5 years with the corporate hospital and they will be where you are at.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Depends on the age. There is a big difference between a thirty/forty-something (who has a potential of 20-30 years left of "work" in them) and someone pushing sixty and on the brink of applying for SS.

I think a lot of employers actually like hiring the forty-somethings as they are usually more mature and are less likely to get pregnant and use maternity leave (even though it is illegal, it doesn't stop employers from thinking this way).

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Specializes in Emergency.

My program had a lot of older students (30+ age group). They graduated, and are having trouble finding jobs. Then again, our market is the most highly saturated other than California. I haven't noticed a single person over 35 working in a hospital based setting from my graduating group. Age discrimination is a real thing, and it is extremely unfair to those that had work towards a life they wish to have.

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Specializes in L&D, OR, ICU, Management, QA-UR, HHC.

Several years back I was hired into a smallish Labor and Delivery Department at the age of 57. Every nurse that I met was eager to work with a "very seasoned" L&D nurse except our one doctor. When he heard that the manager (also my age) had hired an "old lady" he was upset and said, "Why did you hire some old hag? She's probably thinks she knows everything. I'll never be able to train her right." Unbeknownst to him I was standing about five feet behind him. After waiting a few beats, I walked up and introduced myself. We never did get along. He was right that he was never able to train me to his way of doing things. But he also knew that I saved his butt several times. Ultimately he was let go from the hospital because he had so many lawsuits pending.

But age was never a factor in either being hired or working alongside younger nurses. In fact, most of the younger nurses loved (at least they seemed to) hearing some of my "war stories" and getting career advice from an old-timer. And I loved hearing and helping with their issues with being inexperienced and hearing about their lives and young families. I enjoyed teaching and swapping tips. They helped me with things that had changed since I had last worked in-hospital. Seemed a win-win for all, except the doc.

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Specializes in OR 35 years; crosstrained ER/ICU/PACU.

I've been an RN since the late 70's; I'll bet a lot of you weren't even born yet, lol. My husband's company transferred him in 2009 to Charlotte, NC from Albany, NY. I was absolutely furious that he wanted to take the new position. I was in a great surgery center, after working almost 25 years in a Medical Center where we worked a lot of evenings, took tons of night, weekend, & holiday call. While it was busy, the surg center had no nights, call, holidays, & being there since it had opened, I was at the top of the pay grade. Did I want to have to job hunt again, at age 58? Hell no! But of course, hubby took the job. We moved, & his company paid for the move as well as 6 months rent of a lovely 3-bedroom apartment. I had the luxury of waiting for my ideal Operating Room position to open up somewhere in one of many hospitals in the Charlotte area. After 3 months, I had an interview with the OR supervisor of a medical center 5 minutes from the house we bought. We were both "old school" RN's, & after 28 years of OR experience (back in 2009), I could pretty much do anything they needed; circulate, scrub, & other than Open Heart, was pretty familiar with all specialties; especially mine - Ortho & Neurosurgery. Apparently I answered all the questions to her liking, because she asked me when I could start. Again, I was 58; shortly after I started 2 other RN's were hired, both are my age. One other was 63, already working there. I think if you've been in the profession for so many years, your age can be a positive attribute. We know the ropes; we don't get frazzled; we know how to organize, prioritize, & plan. We're excellent team workers! Other than learning where to find equipment & supplies, & getting to know the surgeons, we've pretty much got this! So older nurses are a precious commodity that hospitals are lucky to have. Don't be afraid to blow your own horn on applications & at interviews; be honest & forthcoming with everything: what you know, & what you don't know! Never let age be an issue. I'm 64 now. Believe in yourself, & future employers will too. Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
One of my former unit managers privately told me that she prefers to work with 'younger' nurses because "they are so much easier to work with. Older nurses can be argumentative and too set in their ways."

By the way, this particular unit manager was 43 years of age when she spoke these ageist words back in 2008.

Meaning young nurses are inexperienced therefore easily moldable, eager to please and prove themselves so unlikely to speak up about bad working conditions; whereas older, experienced nurses are more assertive and will fight for safe staffing levels!

I think a mix of ages and experience is best. Where I work this is the case, but at a competitor it seems only young new nurses work there either because they weed out the older nurses or they leave for better conditions, probably a little of both.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Oh yeah! The entitled children of helicopter parents are coming up, I cry to think about it. And before you tell me I'm wrong, lets all thing back to the Mommy is posting here about her DD's DUI and whether or not her special snowflake could get fired because she used someone else's passwords to take some continuing ed!

I personally would hire an older nurse- different work ethics. For me it's not about the age of applicant, but how they handle and mesh within the environment.
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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.

Uhh...I'm 46 yo. Got hired as a new RN at 44 yo with zero experience at a hospital with my pic of departments. I chose ICU/IMC which is usually a position requiring some experience. So in general I don't think they care about age. Having said that I think they do care about hourly rate of an older nurse with tons of experience. Why pay somebody $40+/hr to get the same work done for $22/hr? I work with plenty of nurses with 20+ years exp. but they've been here forever. I'm sure if your late 50's/early 60's they may have concerns if you are new. However, 40's in this economy is not so uncommon to start a nursing career and the good part is you'll even show up for work. Younger folk...still sleeping.

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Where I work they have hired quite often new graduates with no previous nursing experience but school. I am 65 and have learned to keep my moth shut....the newbies run right to the supervisor and claim pc status over something...then I get harassed for not being a team player. Once I stood up for a new nurse and got in trouble for that. So much for age discriminatio.

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