Mandatory cut-off age for being a bedside nurse?

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Say, you get to a certain age, and then a mandatory retirement from being a bedside nurse to other aspects of nursing.

Your opinions please:)

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Wow- 10+ years makes that much of a difference or do you feel like you had trouble picking it up at 40 something too? I'm genuinely curious being a nontraditional age myself.

Good question and it is hard to tell but in my experience the coordination, speed and confidence difference between 25 years old to 35 years old isn't so great but 40 to 55-60 sure is. Not that I didn't make my fair share of new grad mistakes because I surely did but my orientation and the orientation of other younger new grads I work with has been about 10% of what the older ones have needed. :confused:

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Wow- 10+ years makes that much of a difference or do you feel like you had trouble picking it up at 40 something too? I'm genuinely curious being a nontraditional age myself.

I went back to college for a computer technology related degree at age 43 and graduated with a 4.0 gpa and received a technology related award given to only one person from the graduating class. For reasons too in depth for this discussion, I then decided to pursue a nursing degree and entered my BSN program at age 47, graduating with a 3.7 gpa. I can't say that I found the nursing program super easy, but I definitely wasn't "slow on the uptake" either.

I think it's much less related to age than an individual's general intellect and drive. "Older" students with life experience have so much to offer that "younger" students just don't have. Besides, I went to school with plenty of younger students who weren't firing on all cylinders, so to speak. Many of them lacked focus and were too busy trying to find time to party. Personally, I would rather work with "older" students/nurses who have a good work ethic. A good work ethic and determination to do well can overcome many other PERCEIVED deficits.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
For reasons too in depth for this discussion, I then decided to pursue a nursing degree and entered my BSN program at age 47, graduating with a 3.7 gpa. I can't say that I found the nursing program super easy, but I definitely wasn't "slow on the uptake" either.

I think it's much less related to age than an individual's general intellect and drive. "Older" students with life experience have so much to offer that "younger" students just don't have. Besides, I went to school with plenty of younger students who weren't firing on all cylinders, so to speak. Many of them lacked focus and were too busy trying to find time to party. Personally, I would rather work with "older" students/nurses who have a good work ethic. A good work ethic and determination to do well can overcome many other PERCEIVED deficits.

They definitely had NO deficiets when it came to doing the course work in school. They were excellent students and I agree about the work ethic of older people, again in general, but that didn't translate into competence on the floor, in my experience.

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They definitely had NO deficiets when it came to doing the course work in school. They were excellent students and I agree about the work ethic of older people, again in general, but that didn't translate into competence on the floor, in my experience.

But that statement is true of all ages. However, in general, I have experienced the opposite. I was more confident/competent then my younger peers BECAUSE of my age and life experience. Again, it's individual, but I tend not to believe the labels that others want to place on my age group and generally accomplish whatever I want to, so I would advise others not to pay too much attention to what some people might think, but to pursue your desires and know that you can do it! ;)

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For the sake of argument, I will assume the OP is wanting to discuss a hypothetical situation for nurses, which is actually reality in certain fields. A previous poster mentioned airline pilots; state police officers are another group typically subject to a mandatory retirement age.

It is important to note that both of these real-life examples are fields where the workers are represented by collective bargaining units, and benefits tend to be more generous than they are in private industry as a whole. (news flash: "private industry" includes the vast majority of health care organizations)

Because nurses are employees of myraid private and public organizations with widely varying duties, and without large-scale representation in collective bargaining, enforcing a mandatory retirement age is probably unworkable and unlikely to survive court challenges.

Hospitals and other facilities which employ direct-care nurses are notoriously often unwilling to provide not only equipment which reduces the risk of physical injury, but also the staffing and time in the work day necessary to minimize the risk of long-term injury to nurses, whether they are 25 or 55.

Mandatory retirement scheme actually began with Germany's right-wing chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the late 19th century. In 1889, he introduced an old-age social insurance program (at that time the age was 70, later reduced to 65), and was introduced as a popular measure in reaction to social unrest. Soon many other Euroepan countries, and finally the United States embraced the idea, along with various businesses.

At the time of introduction, and really until rather recently the numbers of persons living past the age of 70 was quite small, so the schemes did not cost that much in terms of government or business spending in the amounts to be paid out.

To answer another matter the idea of forcing out older workers in some professions/jobs was the only way to allow junior workers to rise up the ranks. Staying with the airline pilots theme, that career is controlled. like many others via senority with the best planes, routes, and so forth going to those with the most senority. If older pilots did not retire, or indeed anyone else working under such a system, then those below are stuck in a holding pattern (see how I kept on theme? *LOL*).

For pilots and others whose employ involved public safety there was also the matter of their health at >60 years old. Today thanks to better nutrition, healthcare and so forth there is a world of difference between say a 65 year old now living, then one in 1900 or even 1950. Cataracts, palsy shakes and a multitude of health issues that plagued "older" persons can be corrected or managed today, allowing them to continue to lead productive lives.

In relation to the nursing profession, when retires or should be retired from providing bedside care largely rests on their physical and mental capabilities. Declines in either vary from person to person so it is hard to issue a blanket rule, not that it somes some from trying. There are 80 year olds in better mental and physical shape than those a quarter or half their age. A sixty-five year old RN still at the top of her game, or even playing slightly below probably does not need dimensional analysis, a caculator and ten minutes or so to figure out the dosage of Acetaminophen tabs for a fourteen pound infant.

Though by no means the majority, many hospitals are coming to realise in order to retain nurses of all ages, much of the physical labour and running back and forth needs to be reduced. Evidence based design is being incorporated into many new hospital's building programs, or renovations and is bringing decentralised nurse's stations, beds with built in scales, lifts built into the ceilings, and so froth. Is is this perfect? No, and nor is it widespread, but sadly the cost of such things puts them out of reach for much of this country's cash starved health network.

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Specializes in MDS/Office.
Say, you get to a certain age, and then a mandatory retirement from being a bedside nurse to other aspects of nursing.

Your opinions please:)

Perhaps your question should be, "At what age did your health give out forcing you out of beside nursing?"

LOL!! :lol2:

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

Maybe all older nurses (and I am one) should be taken out of circulation, voted off the island, shuttled into retirement villas, or just taken out and shot.

Sorry, but this is an absurd thread and promotes divisiveness among younger and older nurses.

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

They can mandate my retirement age after they mandate one for congress...

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There is no manditory law retirement age. For the government it is so you can collect SS. As far as hospitals are concerned the older you get the more liability you are..........if they want you gone they will find a way. ever wonder why you don't see alot of grey haired nurses in hospitals......we are undesirables. If you have any "disability" at all including your age try geting a job after you have been laid off.......I have been jobless for almost a year.........when your resume has the year you graduated it is not a hard stretch to figure out my age......Legal? no.......Do they get away with it? YES.......they are very smart and very good at evading the facts and skimming the edges of legality........discrimination is very difficult to prove ( a personal journey) because hospital know how to evade direct questions and manipulating data to prove thier point of view...:crying2:

Amen sis!! Listen up kids-this will be you in a ffew years!! My mom was done the same way!

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They can mandate my retirement age after they mandate one for congress...

Nice. I say "No Pay, No PACs, No Retirement, No Special Deals, No Special Laws or Insurance and Two Terms Max" for congress. Pay their room, board and travel like they are in the military when they are supposed to be in session, let them go home and work when they aren't.

As for "old" Nurses, I think all be forced to retire, with a gi-normous bonus, once they reach 100.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

I will be 50 next month. I have already left the bedside, three years ago and taken a desk job. I personally say OH YEAH!!! And if they want to pay me to retire completely and sit on my duff sipping iced tea and reading mystery novels, at age 55, I am TOTALLY open to the idea!!!!!:D:yeah:

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I will be 50 next month. I have already left the bedside, three years ago and taken a desk job. I personally say OH YEAH!!! And if they want to pay me to retire completely and sit on my duff sipping iced tea and reading mystery novels, at age 55, I am TOTALLY open to the idea!!!!!:D:yeah:

LOL :up:

You got to choose is the point.

What kind of desk job did you take?

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