Is there nursing after 50?

Nurses General Nursing

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Does being 50+ mean I have to quit nursing and go into poverty for the rest of my life or am I supossed to kill myself?

Specializes in Psychiatric, Home Health, Geriatrics.
Maybe it's time to start doing something about this. any one with me on this?

Don't know what can be done about it within the profession other than all of us going union, but that will never happen... that is why I am getting out at age 52; I have been thru the being set up to be fired, the peer review experience & not knowing whether I will have the RN license by the time it is all over, etc.

Maybe I too am jaded but that is what nursing does to those of us who stay in it long enough. Anyway, so much for my two cents. :)

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I hope being 50 is not too old....that's how old I will be when I graduate.

I really enjoyed the responses to this. I am greatly encouraged now.

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Don't know what can be done about it within the profession other than all of us going union, but that will never happen... that is why I am getting out at age 52; I have been thru the being set up to be fired, the peer review experience & not knowing whether I will have the RN license by the time it is all over, etc.

Maybe I too am jaded but that is what nursing does to those of us who stay in it long enough. Anyway, so much for my two cents. :)

there are organizations and people to hang us why can't there be an organization to save us before it gets to that point?
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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

"...she was 25 and yes I was told that I was too old"

Ever heard of age discrimination!!!???? Employers CANNOT discriminate based upon age...which, surely you know. I'd look into some legal representation.

I sure hope nursing doesn't end after I turn 50--that's less than 4 yrs for me and I don't have much of a retirement plan! :rotfl: And even though I'll be relying on heavily my husband's retirement, I don't plan to work much beyond 55 or 60 yrs of age!

I'm in agreement with another poster who suggested that you look into teaching nursing or getting into some form of nursing management.

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"...she was 25 and yes I was told that I was too old
"

Ever heard of age discrimination!!!???? Employers CANNOT discriminate based upon age...which, surely you know. I'd look into some legal representation.

I sure hope nursing doesn't end after I turn 50--that's less than 4 yrs for me and I don't have much of a retirement plan! :rotfl: And even though I'll be relying on heavily my husband's retirement, I don't plan to work much beyond 55 or 60 yrs of age!

I'm in agreement with another poster who suggested that you look into teaching nursing or getting into some form of nursing management.I would love to teach , only have my ADN and this last place I worked was really out to fry me. Just seems like women get the shaft all the way around. If they are not being abused they are being used. Oh well, life goes on with or without me and if no one else cares to change things, so be it.

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Home Health, Geriatrics.
there are organizations and people to hang us why can't there be an organization to save us before it gets to that point?

Too true, but have you ever tried to get the nurses in even one facility to agree on something like that? Much less a majority of nurses in your state?

Before I leave nursing, my fondest wish is to start a nursing union here in TX. but I believe it is an impossible dream. :o

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Is there nursing after 50? Well, there'd better be, or I'm SOL........it's only 4 years away now, and I am far from ready to be put out to pasture. I may not have many more years of floor nursing left in me, but retirement is not an option, and there are enough different types of nursing jobs to keep one out of the food-stamp lines, even if s/he can't keep up with the demands of bedside nursing. I'm not really all that worried about it; I'm just looking forward to the day when I can afford to work part-time, instead of full-time......that's my ultimate goal! :p

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Specializes in ICU, ED, Transport, Home Care, Mgmnt.
there are organizations and people to hang us why can't there be an organization to save us before it gets to that point?

Malt123 and MissPiggy it sounds like there is a lot to your stories. Maybe I'm way off base but I think a lot is going on for both of you right now. I have been part of a peer review committee, we tried very hard to be very fair with each nurse. Your are right something should be done before it gets to the peer review point, that should come from your coworkers, friends and mostly your supervisor. Unfortunately some nurses won't listen until it's too late and some never see that they were a problem. I don't know where you fall in the greater scheme of things but take a look at what you were told and see if there is any merit to the criticism. Obviously being told you are too old is not a good excuse, and some times it is what it is, age discrimination. Find someone who will appreciate you. You have many options regardless of the outcome.

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Malt123 and MissPiggy it sounds like there is a lot to your stories. Maybe I'm way off base but I think a lot is going on for both of you right now. I have been part of a peer review committee, we tried very hard to be very fair with each nurse. Your are right something should be done before it gets to the peer review point, that should come from your coworkers, friends and mostly your supervisor. Unfortunately some nurses won't listen until it's too late and some never see that they were a problem. I don't know where you fall in the greater scheme of things but take a look at what you were told and see if there is any merit to the criticism. Obviously being told you are too old is not a good excuse, and some times it is what it is, age discrimination. Find someone who will appreciate you. You have many options regardless of the outcome.

there is so much going on out there in nursing and unfortunately I was drug into it or should I say used. there are agencies that actually go after people to get them ousted so they can put one of their own in the facility. There are agencies that pay DON's to use their staff. The crap that goes on is endless. and yes I did evaluate myself and at this point I honestly feel that I did everything that I could, but when no matter what you do they say it is wrong you know that they are out to get you, even if you do what they say to do they say it's wrong. LTC has always been well known for the problems. I was in it and worked in some bad places but I always felt that even those people should be treated right. One place was banned from admitting new residents so the administrator had us calling him before we could send some one to the hospital. I was a fairly new LPN at the time now I just send them. I am tired of working in these places where you litterally have to fight for care of the patient. Ex: as an LPN the doc ordered Kwell for a resident the RN wrote the order to be applied BID x 7 days I argued with her but by the time I got to work with the patient she had already been put into shock, her skin peeled and left raw areas, her hole back side was open and stuck to the sheet, this was a large woman and the aids would not help me turn her "she can wait" I was told I did manage to get her turned and I cried when I saw her open bottom, stuck to the sheet and covered with feces. Guess who they retaliated against. another time I was working for the first time on this floor this little old lady kept saying her legs hurt we repo. her didn't help, finally we stood her up and what I saw made me sick, stage IV decubes on both buttocks and sacrum, so I went to check to see what the treatment orders were and there were none, nothing charted about this. so I called the doc and got orders and guess who they were upset with "me" for writing it on the chart. after years of this you do tend to get a little hardened, not to the staff but to management, they are the ones that set the tone for the facility.

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there is so much going on out there in nursing and unfortunately I was drug into it or should I say used. there are agencies that actually go after people to get them ousted so they can put one of their own in the facility. There are agencies that pay DON's to use their staff. The crap that goes on is endless. and yes I did evaluate myself and at this point I honestly feel that I did everything that I could, but when no matter what you do they say it is wrong you know that they are out to get you, even if you do what they say to do they say it's wrong. LTC has always been well known for the problems. I was in it and worked in some bad places but I always felt that even those people should be treated right. One place was banned from admitting new residents so the administrator had us calling him before we could send some one to the hospital. I was a fairly new LPN at the time now I just send them. I am tired of working in these places where you litterally have to fight for care of the patient. Ex: as an LPN the doc ordered Kwell for a resident the RN wrote the order to be applied BID x 7 days I argued with her but by the time I got to work with the patient she had already been put into shock, her skin peeled and left raw areas, her hole back side was open and stuck to the sheet, this was a large woman and the aids would not help me turn her "she can wait" I was told I did manage to get her turned and I cried when I saw her open bottom, stuck to the sheet and covered with feces. Guess who they retaliated against. another time I was working for the first time on this floor this little old lady kept saying her legs hurt we repo. her didn't help, finally we stood her up and what I saw made me sick, stage IV decubes on both buttocks and sacrum, so I went to check to see what the treatment orders were and there were none, nothing charted about this. so I called the doc and got orders and guess who they were upset with "me" for writing it on the chart. after years of this you do tend to get a little hardened, not to the staff but to management, they are the ones that set the tone for the facility.

Malt, if what you describe is true (I have no reason to think that you are not sincere) have you thought of reporting this facility (or facilities) to the state agency or agencies that oversee LTC facilities? Ombudsmen? Medicare and Medicaid?

Whistleblowers are protected, even though their lives can be made miserable, and, if it's found that there is Medicare fraud connected to billing practices, the whistleblower that reports them eventually is entitled to a portion of the money that Medicare orrecovers.

If you feel that you've been retaliated against because you know where some of the skeletons are hidden,so to speak, and have documentation to prove it--that's the key--then I urge you to seek a consult with an attorney who deals with wrongful termination or whistleblowing--or Medicare fraud. Most attorneys offer a free initial consultation.

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Malt, if what you describe is true (I have no reason to think that you are not sincere) have you thought of reporting this facility (or facilities) to the state agency or agencies that oversee LTC facilities? Ombudsmen? Medicare and Medicaid?

Whistleblowers are protected, even though their lives can be made miserable, and, if it's found that there is Medicare fraud connected to billing practices, the whistleblower that reports them eventually is entitled to a portion of the money that Medicare orrecovers.

If you feel that you've been retaliated against because you know where some of the skeletons are hidden,so to speak, and have documentation to prove it--that's the key--then I urge you to seek a consult with an attorney who deals with wrongful termination or whistleblowing--or Medicare fraud. Most attorneys offer a free initial consultation.

I have called the state on some of these places and I don't want compensation. the one I spoke of was in the past one place when the state came in they actually witnessed the DON going around giving IM Valium to residents not ordered on it that place was shut down. one time I was actually being black balled, my life was threatened.
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I hope there is nursing after 50, I became an LPN at age 46. I'll be 48 this Feb. and hope to have my RN by Aug. 2005. I plan on working for many years to come. Being a nurse has been a lifelong dream, only life kept getting in the way of going to school. I prayed about his long & hard and God has gotten me this far, so I know he'll find something out there when my body starts to weaken.

Teena in Indiana

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