I am concerned with age discrimination?

caliotter3 · Jun 25, 2012

I had problems getting hired as a nurse when I was in my 40's. Once or twice my age was even mentioned during the interview, pretty cheeky, if you ask me. They apparently knew that a person seeking employment was not likely to go around complaining about discrimination. Based upon my experience, I would say that your friend should expect problems, or at the least should not be surprised. I would expect that prospective employers would be more discreet though. They can easily tell her they have nothing for someone with no experience, and then they could skirt the age issue.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Age discrimination is an ugly issue in the workforce.

Approximately four years ago I asked my unit manager, "Why doesn't the company like older nurses?"

Her response: "Younger nurses are much easier for us to deal with. The older nurses are argumentative, have attitude problems, can't be told anything, and don't respond to criticism well."

sapphire18 · Jun 25, 2012

What is a "16-month accelerated 4-year RN program"?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

What is a "16-month accelerated 4-year RN program"?

He probably means its a 16-month accelerated baccalaureate degree (bachelor of science in nursing). People who are not familiar with the terminology and nomenclature will refer to any baccalaureate as a '4-year degree' because it usually takes 4 years to earn.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Yes, age discrimination is alive and well. And no, there is no "nursing shortage" in most areas. There are plenty of younger nurses who can't find jobs, either.

rn/writer, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Age discrimination is an ugly issue in the workforce.
Approximately four years ago I asked my unit manager, "Why doesn't the company like older nurses?"
Her response: "Younger nurses are much easier for us to deal with. The older nurses are argumentative, have attitude problems, can't be told anything, and don't respond to criticism well."

This could also be interpreted to say, "Younger nurses are much easier for us to intimidate. The older nurses know how to spot corporate BS and the claptrap of internal politics. They don't suffer fools gladly and, doggone it, they would like to be spoken to with at least a basic level of respect.

JZ_RN · Jun 25, 2012

I get discriminated against because I am young and people assume I'm irresponsible or uneducated or who knows what. I passed boards, I work full-time. I am responsible and hard-working, and most of all, I know what I am doing. Being young doesn't mean I am stupid and I wish the world would get that through its head. Age discrimination against younger workers without a lot of work history is what I always see.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

or are nurses need so badly that she will be able to find a job no problem?

there is no nursing shortage anymore. right now even the best and brightest--and younger--graduates are having an exceptionally hard time finding work. unfortunately for your girlfriend, she also has the added burden of her age.

yes, age discrimination is illegal. in reality, it happens and it can be very hard for someone to prove. you say that she's been turned down in the past because of her age...and she very well could have been. unless the employer said, "sorry, you're too old" or "we want someone younger," your girlfriend would have an uphill battle proving that it was indeed age discrimination. fair? not really. but that's how it is

or people think age discrimination happens when it didn't. keep in mind that she also could have lost the job offer because another applicant did have a bona-fide something extra--skills, experience, flexibility--that your girlfriend didn't have and didn't know the other did. and when we're disappointed that we didn't get the prize, it's easy to transfer to blame elsewhere, such as on age.

the market may be different in 18 months when your girlfriend is done (i'm throwing in two extra months for nclex prep). maybe nurses will have an easier time getting work. maybe not. there's no way to know. people were saying in 2009 that the market would have turned around by now and guess what, it hasn't really.

if your girlfriend is wise, she'll start networking now, while in school. also, if it's possible, she should get a job in a hospital as a cna/tech/aide. not only will this give her healthcare experience, it will make her an internal candidate for nursing jobs as well as making her name and face--and abilities--known to nurse managers.

also, send her to join the forum: while it's nice you visited to ask for her, she would really benefit from having her own account here, since she's the nurse-to-be :)

i wish her the best.

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

I would like to think it doesn't hold true, but I really think age does. I agree. She needs to start networking now and get a job as a CNA.

Push comes to shove, maybe a SNF or ALF may hire. I do believe they are easier to find employment with.

Leonardo Del Toro, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Don't even wast your time. Hospital nursing jobs right now are nearly impossible to get. There are thousands of applicants for each opening. Newgrads are only accepted in new grad programs which are rare these days. The interviews (if you ever land one) are brutal and humiliating. Please spare yourself the pain and suffering and look for some other area of health care where there may be a chance for employment. There is absolutely zero need for newgrad nurses right now. There is definitively a preference for the young and cute even though they are the least likely to stay.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

there are multiple applicants for every position and hospitals have hiring freezes. many new grads have been looking for jobs for up to 18 months and still can't find jobs. ageism is very real in nursing and hospitals are very good at not outwardly being discriminatory. many hospitals have laid off their "senior" nurses for we made more money and we have the potential to cost them in health premiums.

https://allnurses.com/gsearch.php?cx=partner-pub-9350112648257122%3avaz70l-mgo9&cof=forid%3a10&ie=utf-8&q=age+discrimination&sa=search

has the nursing shortage disappeared?

it's that time of year again. graduating nursing students are preparing to take the nclex and are looking for their first jobs. this year, many are finding those first jobs in short supply.

reports are rampant of new graduates being unable to find open positions in their specialty of choice, and even more shockingly, many are finding it tough to find any openings at all.

these new rns entered school with the promise that nursing is a recession-proof career. they were told the nursing shortage would guarantee them employment whenever and wherever they wanted.

so what happened? has the nursing shortage—that we've heard about incessantly for years—suddenly gone away?

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/co...sappeared.html

the short term answer is clearly yes, although in the long term, unfortunately, the shortage will still be there. the recession has brought a temporary reprieve to the shortage. nurses who were close to retirement have seen their 401(k) portfolios plummet and their potential retirement income decline. they are postponing retirement a few more years until the economy—and their portfolios—pick up.

many nurses have seen their spouses and partners lose their jobs and have increased their hours to make ends meet for their families. some who left the profession to care for children or for other reasons have rejoined the workforce for similar reasons.

in addition, many hospitals are not hiring. the recession brought hiring freezes to healthcare facilities across the country, and many are still in effect. help wanted ads for healthcare professionals dropped by 18,400 listings in july, even as the overall economy saw a modest increase of 139,200 in online job listings.

the big lie?

without a doubt, the main source of frustration experienced by recently graduated and licensed but still unemployed nurses is what could be called "the big lie."in other words, the television commercials that encourage young people to become nurses -- and then abandon them for months (or years) without employment; and the educators who tell them that the associate's degree is perfectly adequate to guarantee employment, that they will have their pick of jobs when they graduate, and that there is plenty of time to get a bsn later on. who knows whether it is greed, ignorance, or wishful thinking that underlies the fairy tales told to nursing students about their future job prospects? whatever the motivation, the disillusionment of our new grads is palpable. the jobs they expected after all of their hard work just haven't materialized, and some grads are getting pretty desperate.

will work for experience

the strongest motivator for the working population is money, but for some newly licensed registered nurses, getting valuable clinical experience seems to be taking precedence over the paycheck. without that experience, the financial future of these nurses will remain precarious because they will be unable to find jobs.

"i am willing to take a 50% pay cut or even work for free so i can get the darned experience," said one frustrated new graduate who has been unable to break out of the unending cycle of "no job without experience, and no experience without a job."

she was not alone....

medscape: medscape access you need to register for medscape but it is free.

be a nurse...if you can

a popular website about the nursing profession claims, "there has never been a better time to be a nurse.""be" a nurse? perhaps, but "become" a nurse? perhaps, that is less certain. in spite of continuing to rank among the best careers and best jobs in america, the nursing profession is struggling to welcome its newest members with open arms and paychecks.

not too long ago, the threat of a growing nursing shortage prompted thousands of prospective students to choose nursing as a career, and nursing schools rapidly filled to capacity. nursing was frequently referred to as a "recession-proof" career,and the outlook for finding a job after graduation was rosy.

experience and employment: the vicious cycle

now, the bloom, as they say, is off the rose. it seems that many of our new grads are stuck in that perennial dilemma: they can't get a job without experience, and they can't get experience without a job. this situation was not anticipated by thousands of nursing students who were told, often repeatedly, that a global nursing shortage practically guaranteed employment for them.

consider, for example, the situation faced by new graduates in california. a survey of hospitals by the california institute for nursing & health care found that as many as 40% of new graduates may not be able to find jobs in california hospitals, because only 65% of the state's potential employers were hiring new graduates and generally planned to hire fewer new graduates than in previous years. overwhelming numbers of new graduates submitted applications for the few available positions for new graduates.......

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/744221 registration is free...

i wish you so all the luck in the world. if this is something she's always wanted the let her catch her dream but finding a job maybe difficult.