Where are all the "older" nurses?

Nurses Relations

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I'm a new nursing student. 2nd career. I'm 48. I've been doing a lot of student shadowing at my local hospital in the different departments lately and its been amazing! Everything from NICU to Cardiac Cath lab the whole gambit. One trend is a lot of 20 something early 30 something nurses. Both male and female. Primarily female. All very professional and knowledgeable. What happens to the 40 to 70 year olds? They make so much money they retire early? haha really?

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

What Esme12 said ^^. I wish I could Like this post a thousand times! I was a casualty of ageism too. Yes, it's illegal for employers to discriminate based on age, but they can find a gazillion other ways to reject an applicant. I'm in my late 50s and searched for jobs for an entire six months before going on disability (long story, has nothing to do with this post). I had several interviews in which the facilities seemed very interested in me until I actually showed up. I look every day of my age---I've had a rough time of it in the past five years or so---and I know my appearance had at least something to do with that. And yes, it sucks, but what can I do? Of course, I'm no longer looking for work, but if I ever were to do so again, I seriously doubt I'd be hired.

I have been nursing for over 26 yrs now,and seriously it is my calling.I do it because i love the field and the care i give .

Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

I'm one of those "older" nurses, too. I'll be 60 on Jan. 2 but I sure don't feel that old (not that 60 is old because it's not!). I'm in good enough shape that I could still work acute care if I wanted to but I got sick & tired of all the bureaucracy in facilities. I've been doing private duty Peds for almost 10 years (9 of those with the same patient) & have no desire to go back to hospitals. I love getting to know my patients & their families and not having the stress of juggling 5 or 6 or more patients. I always get out on time & I pick my own schedule. If I want to pick up extra shifts I can but that doesn't often happen. Right now I'm very content working my 2 nights a week & spending lots of time with my grandsons. I think they're the reason I still feel really young.

We have either left the profession entirely like I did, are PRN only or management with 8 hour weekdays only. The last place I worked nurses with seniority were so far and few in between that most days a new nurse with slightly less than 1 year experience would be the charge for a 48 bed unit of a BUSY med-surg floor. IMHO nursing is just not worth it anymore, management demands more than you can ever accurately do.

"Second....ageism is alive and well in nursing. If you run through the forums you will see plenty of posts about older nurses. The truth of the matter is that hospitals try to get rid of older "seasoned" nurses. We are usually the highest paid with the most accrued time...that makes us expensive. We historically are very verbal and we don't put up with any crap which hospitals are spoon feeding the new to the profession. We are also older and use insurance more than our younger counterparts

They get rid of us by attrition. They have recently resorted to mandating the RN go back to school for the BSN of lose our jobs. Many of us are at a time in our lives that incurring long term debt isn't fiscally prudent. Those of us who have been "downsized" have found it almost impossible to obtain another position..."

Esme12, thank you so, so much for this response and you are absolutely right on-Amen! I just wanted to say that this pervasive, discriminatory practice affects all nurses. If you are a young nurse now, one day perhaps, you may be on the receiving end and, after years of dedicated service, you will be passed over for positions/promotions in favor of applicants that are a 'better fit' for the institution, i.e. younger.

When this happens, one is left questioning their own worth, value, and position in the organization-how sad! What the MBAs and senior administration never factor into the equation, is that years of active nursing gives one the tools/abilities to not only care for patients when they respond in typical 'textbook' fashion, but also when things, unexpectedly, go terribly, terribly wrong. Young and new nurses are wonderful and capable, but what about the invaluable role modeling, preceptoring, and peer support by seasoned nurses? I'm awaiting the day that a hospital has to pay out a massive class-action lawsuit from nurses for this thinly veiled form of ageism-maybe, just maybe, then the tides will turn.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
why would they discriminate?

Please use the "quote" function so we can more easily follow the conversation.

Older nurses with experience draw higher salaries, and many institutions would rather hire two new grads than pay one experienced nurse who can train them. (And who will probably stay longer.) Older nurses are seen as "slower," which may or may not be true. The older nurses in my acquaintance may not RUN to that code, but because their noses weren't buried in that phone, they were probably aware of it happening and got there first anyway.

Second career nurses, according to a former orientee of mine who is on her second career, who may be older when they begin nursing aren't as likely to see the urgency in certain urgent situations. (This is her observation, not mine.)

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Very interesting discussion. I've been a nurse for 24+ years now (second career). I'm in my mid-50's and work 10 hour shifts which frequently become 14 hours. I work with 8 other APRNs who are all (with exception of one) 10-30 years younger than me. I have absolutely no trouble keeping up, I am the tech guru that they ask for when stuck and I pride myself on keeping up to date with the latest EBP.

I have not felt discriminated against ever. However, the writing was on the wall 10-15 years ago and I knew I needed to go back to school. Was it cost-effective? Yes definitely. Was it fun? Not really. Will I be paying off my student loans till I'm in my 60s? Oh yes. However, the interest rate is 0.8% so the higher interest stuff's gotta be paid first.

Education is where its at...

Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

They are all in a wheelchair, c-collar, knee immobilizer, and taking 10 Ativan a day after dealing with the physical and emotional stresses of nursing.

Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.
They are all in a wheelchair, c-collar, knee immobilizer, and taking 10 Ativan a day after dealing with the physical and emotional stresses of nursing.

I thought you were going to say we were all in these contraptions from kicking a** all these years!

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I work in home health, and most of the nurses are over 40.

I'm old enough for Medicare now and still working as close to full time as I want to ... as a consultant earning a damn good hourly rate in my own business. Fortunately, in my line of work, a bit of grey around the temples and a few laugh lines around the eyes and mouth are a plus, not a negative. They WANT people who are experienced, have seen it all or know where to find out more promptly, who don't have to change a date or deadline because of children's needs... I couldn't do this work if I were a fresh-faced 26-yr-old (that was when I was a hotshot ICU nurse, for which I am entirely too old now!). The travel beats me up a little more than I'd like, but hey. I get my hourly rate door-to-door, and that is of considerable consolation. :)

Got my money hid. Just waiting to start collecting welfare.

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