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 CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
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:)

is this a school paper? an assignment of some sort?

at 55 and still at the bedside, i say make me retire whenever you want to -- but pay me a hefty pension of you do so! i've still got a few years to work before i can afford to retire . . . but if you want me to go away, i will. happily. just show me the money.

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is this a school paper? an assignment of some sort?

at 55 and still at the bedside, i say make me retire whenever you want to -- but pay me a hefty pension of you do so! i've still got a few years to work before i can afford to retire . . . but if you want me to go away, i will. happily. just show me the money.

this was my second thought, but, since i am fairly commonly known to point this out, i thought i would leave it to someone else, lol.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
this was my second thought, but, since i am fairly commonly known to point this out, i thought i would leave it to someone else, lol.

I find it odd for someone to stir the pot then not reply or give her opinion.

ETA: it smells like homework

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Well I am 55 with 32 years of experience and I don't plan to retire.. ever. I plan to work at least part time for as long as I can. If I get to where I cannot work, put me on hospice care and let me die. I cannot sit at home. And I think I can do just as well as any other nurse on my floor. They all seem to come to me for everything now.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Age discrimination is illegal. End of discussion.

Don't die and you'll get old too.

As long as someone is capable and willing they should be allowed to remain in the workforce.

In my experience, which is limited since I've only worked at one hospital the last 18 years, nurses tend to retire early or at the youngest social security retirement age. Nursing is so hard and demanding people just can't take beyond they age they don't have to.

In fact I can think of only one nurse, whom worked into her early 70's before retiring. The most recent nurse to retire was 62. She said 40 years of nursing was enough. It might be different in other hospitals, doctors offices or LTC's but where I work it's not even an issue to give a 2nd look.

That may change because of the bad economy and the hit people's retirement funds have taken, and the fact that 66% of baby boomers aren't prepared for retirement, but for the most part it still seems to be true.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
is this a school paper? an assignment of some sort?

at 55 and still at the bedside, i say make me retire whenever you want to -- but pay me a hefty pension of you do so! i've still got a few years to work before i can afford to retire . . . but if you want me to go away, i will. happily. just show me the money.

i don't think it's an assignment. i think i have read posts along a similar line by this particular person in the past.

sorry to be taking up breathing space here as a middle aged woman and, gasp, an older nurse!

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originally posted by ruby vee viewpost.gif

is this a school paper? an assignment of some sort?

at 55 and still at the bedside, i say make me retire whenever you want to -- but pay me a hefty pension of you do so! i've still got a few years to work before i can afford to retire . . . but if you want me to go away, i will. happily. just show me the money.

i don't think it's an assignment. i think i have read posts along a similar line by this particular person in the past.

you're right. the op has stated in the past that she enjoys stirring up controversy on this site and has started many threads designed to do just that. unfortunately (for her) it appears that everyone is on the same page with this topic.

it would be a terrible loss of wisdom and experience to implement a mandatory cut off age for bedside nurses. that's my:twocents:

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

You can't make a general statement about (or legislate) when someone is no longer fit to administer care. I currently work with a nurse in her 70s who I had rather work with than just about anyone. There is another, in her late 40s, who I am pretty sure has early onset dementia. Her short term memory is almost gone, she charts on the wrong forms and she is unable to demonstrate back something you have just shown her. Suitability for the job isn't about chronological age.

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Specializes in Health Information Management.

I don't think there's any harm in kicking around the notion of a required retirement age. It's an interesting idea to debate, which is what I gathered the OP intended. There are other types of work that mandate a retirement age, so why not at least gather thoughts and opinions in a workforce where people are somewhat regularly sidelined or shifted into desk positions because of the job's strenuous demands?

I didn't really get the impression the OP was advocating that all nurses over 55 be sent to the Soylent Green factory.... ;)

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

LOL... Soylent Green...

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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:)

they are currently debating this for airline pilots-current cutoff is age 60.

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Hmmm . . . how about 204?

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