Where are all the "older" nurses?

[tjcnurse2b]

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?

[sherri64]

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?

They burn out or get injured from consistently working short and find something else to do within the nursing field besides direct care or they quit and do something else. That has been my experience with nurses I know. And I know a lot of them from all over the country.

[Allgood2016, LPN, LVN]

I am 60 years old; and an LVN; with 40 plus years experience. Due to hiring trends in my area (and, all over the United States ) hospitals don't hire us "old gals & guys". Therefore I; and, my "older"sister & brothers nurses are only able (in my words forced) to work in a)LTC/Nursinghomes/Rehab facilities; b) work for nursing agencies; or c) physicians offices or clinics.

That's where us "older " nurses are.

[Allgood2016, LPN, LVN]

Hospitals discriminate based on how many letter after your name (LVN/LPN vs RN) and age. This has been going on for many years.

"LVN/LPNS aren't knowledgeable enough /trained like RNS are; and its cheaper to hire a new nurse, than an older nurse" said to me by a hospital CEO/administrator who didn't know I was an LVN with 40 plus years experience until after he made the statement.

That's the discrimination.

[isleyele]

I spent my first 5 years as a hospital staff nurse. I was a "second-career" new grad and in my 40s. My colleagues on the floor were mostly sweet young things who were, 99% of them, fabulously competent and compassionate caregivers...but they were mostly clueless when it came to common sense. (And most of the nurse managers were like scared rabbits--scared of losing their cushy job, scared of setting boundaries with families, and certainly scared of fellow nurses who didn't just keep their heads down.) Who works those crazy hours while being constantly belittled and abused, not only by nurse managers, but also by doctors and patient families? Older nurses don't work in hospitals because with age comes WISDOM. There are myriad rewarding nursing jobs where you actually use your critical thinking and patient skills and don't have to learn an HCAHPS-approved script or grab rounds of sodas for entire families. Do your time on the floor and move on.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I spent my first 5 years as a hospital staff nurse. I was a "second-career" new grad and in my 40s. My colleagues on the floor were mostly sweet young things who were, 99% of them, fabulously competent and compassionate caregivers...but they were mostly clueless when it came to common sense. (And most of the nurse managers were like scared rabbits--scared of losing their cushy job, scared of setting boundaries with families, and certainly scared of fellow nurses who didn't just keep their heads down.) Who works those crazy hours while being constantly belittled and abused, not only by nurse managers, but also by doctors and patient families? Older nurses don't work in hospitals because with age comes WISDOM. There are myriad rewarding nursing jobs where you actually use your critical thinking and patient skills and don't have to learn an HCAHPS-approved script or grab rounds of sodas for entire families. Do your time on the floor and move on.

I'm in my sixties, and have been a nurse since the 70s. I work crazy hours, but don't find myself constantly belittled and abused by nurse managers, physicians or the patients' families. Older nurses DO work in hospitals, because with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes the ability to rise above, ignore or rise above "abuse" from patients and families who don't know any better and to inspire the respect from one's colleagues that prevents them from belittling or abusing you. I actually use my wisdom, critical thinking and patient skills at the bedside and have learned to direct entire families to the cafeteria where they can purchase the soda of their choice.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

I actually use my wisdom, critical thinking and patient skills at the bedside and have learned to direct entire families to the cafeteria where they can purchase the soda of their choice.

But they want it for free and for you to serve it to them on ice. They dont want to have to walk to the cafeteria.....

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Another thought...many of the 'older' nurses are found in less physically demanding areas such as group homes for the developmentally disabled, jail intake centers, adult daycare, hospice, occupational health, and methadone clinics.

In the aforementioned settings I have observed that most of the nurses are above a certain age range.

[foggnm]

I started my RN career at 34, but even then knew that hospital nursing was not what I'd want to be doing when I was 50. Sure plenty of people do it, but they usually have back problems and other health issues. Nursing inpatient is 90% physical job, 10% mental job. It is highly repetitive and filled with awkward posturing. Even me as a very athletic man, I have had various aches/pains/problems from the 12 hour lifestyle. I truly think hospital nursing is for young people an a few others that have a passion for it. Many physically based professions are the same: more people do them young and less as they get older.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

I'll be 68 in March and still got critical care game, , well for - while..... ))grins((

[sevensonnets]

I'm right there with you sallyrnrrt! I've been in critical care for 37 years except for a couple of years in ED and I wouldn't dream of doing anything else. Not ready to hang it up yet.

[Julius Seizure]

For what its worth, as a patient I prefer older nurses. They have an emotional maturity that not all twenty somethings have.

You may not see this, since the post is so old, but i am curious: can you put an age with the idea of "older nurses" that you prefer? Is a nurse in her 30s old enough? 40s? What is the threshold to give you a sense that the nurse possesses emotional maturity?

[SmilingBluEyes]

I have seen very mature 20-somethings and conversely, immature 50-somethings. Part of our problem is generational difference. We all grew up in varying times with different constructs. But I hate to group/pigeon-hole people based only on chronological age.