I am concerned with age discrimination?

Michael Shimko · Jun 25, 2012

Thank you I will tell her this and try to get her on this website.

Michael Shimko · Jun 25, 2012

thank you for all the feed back everyone.

Michael Shimko · Jun 25, 2012

what is a "16-month accelerated 4-year rn program"?

once you have all your basic classes and science classes finished. the university of nevada offers a 16 month accelerated course to finish all the core nursing classes and complete your rn degree. i am sure other university offer something similar.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, 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.

Even in places like CA and NYC -- I think you might be catastrophizing the poor new grad job market just a bit.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 25, 2012

while i have seen age discrimination in nursing, what i see is mostly managers getting rid of the nurses at the top of their pay scale (meaning older nurses with decades of experience) in order to hire less experienced and less expensive nurses. at 60, your girlfriend will still be at the bottom of the pay scale. i don't think she has much to worry about in terms of "age discrimination." nursing jobs are still difficult to find, however. it seems that large, inner city teaching hospitals are always hiring (in the icus anyway), but that's not necessarily where a 60 year old wants to work, and it may require relocation.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jun 25, 2012

once you have all your basic classes and science classes finished. the university of nevada offers a 16 month accelerated course to finish all the core nursing classes and complete your rn degree. i am sure other university offer something similar.

there is no such thing as "an rn degree." there is an adn, a bsn, an msn and maybe even a diploma out there. but these are nursing degrees, not "rn" degrees. in order to become an rn, one must pass the licensing exam after completing a degree from an accredited school of nursing.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · 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."

Is this to imply all old nurses have the above qualities or your facility just likes to hire those they can manipulate easily?

Michael Shimko · Jun 25, 2012

while i have seen age discrimination in nursing, what i see is mostly managers getting rid of the nurses at the top of their pay scale (meaning older nurses with decades of experience) in order to hire less experienced and less expensive nurses. at 60, your girlfriend will still be at the bottom of the pay scale. i don't think she has much to worry about in terms of "age discrimination." nursing jobs are still difficult to find, however. it seems that large, inner city teaching hospitals are always hiring (in the icus anyway), but that's not necessarily where a 60 year old wants to work, and it may require relocation.

thank you for the kind words i hope this is the case for her.

Michael Shimko · Jun 25, 2012

there is no such thing as "an rn degree." there is an adn, a bsn, an msn and maybe even a diploma out there. but these are nursing degrees, not "rn" degrees. in order to become an rn, one must pass the licensing exam after completing a degree from an accredited school of nursing.

ok you know more than i do about nursing. i always thought that the 2-year was called lvn and the 4-year was rn. all i know is that once she is done she will have the 4 year version whatever it is called. thank you for the feed back.

elprup, 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.

Agree! I am one of them at 42

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

"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."

well, screw that!! ahem.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

some of you have heard the story of one of my students who was 62. she had been married for forty-plus years to an old sob (not "short of breath," either) who told her how stupid and worthless she was and how nothing she ever wanted to do was the least bit useful. and when he died she took the life insurance money and went to nursing school, bless her.

she wasn't any better at nursing (or any worse) than any of her 18-year-old chickie classmates, but she had something that they didn't, and that was life experience. she had seen her mother and father die, seen how families coped with adversity, knew what it was like to be a mother and a grandmother; she could sit down at a bedside and calm a frightened person just because she was a white-haired older lady who didn't panic and knew what to say, when to say it, and when to be quiet and just be there.

i have no idea if your friend will be able to find work. on the practical side she should look for a job with fewer physical aspects, if she can find it. but it is possible that if she can express those qualities bestowed by maturity, someone will see how lucky they are to have her, even if only for a short while.