Nurse's getting younger

cgwrn · Dec 7, 2011

I am 24, I have been a nurse for 4 years and I LOVE working with the experienced nurses, frankly, when it is all "young" nurses, we are asking eachother questions and a lot of times we don't know the answers. I have learned more from experienced nurses than I ever did in nursing school. Sure I learned the foundation in nursing school but actually learning how to apply it to the floor is totally different. I think what I read is half right, the greatest issue is that the work is demanding, physically and mentally so there is a great rush for older nurses to move into an area that is less demanding or physically taxing. I am fortunate to work on a med-surg floor that has a great mix, about 50/50 new nurses vs experienced nurses and each shift is about that. We usually only have 4 patients each so there is time to learn from eachother and get to know eachother beyond the floor work. I think that by working with more experienced, older nurses we are given a great opportunity. Not only that, but the older experienced nurses have in my experience, been more dedicated to the role of nursing and to training others. Not only that, but they tend to take on a "motherly" role on the floor that is missed with younger nurses working together. Maybe I am wrong, but as a fairly new nurse with 4 years experience, I value and appreciate the experience my nurses bring. All of the young posters on here seem to have a chip on their shoulders. The OP didn't intend to insult young nurses, she was just pointing out that the age group on the floor seems to be younger. I would agree, when I was working as an CNA when I was 16-18 the majority of the nurses were in their 40-50's at my hospital, many have retired since and have been replaced with younger nurses. Give us a few years, we will catch up with your years. ;-)

cgwrn · Dec 7, 2011

Oh, and let me quickly point out, that I am 24, with an ADN in nursing, a bachelors degree and will soon have a MSN in nursing leadership and administration, a degree is great but it's not everything.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Dec 7, 2011

You know what I like about new nurses....I keep getting older, they stay the same age.

God classic movie, couldnt pass it up

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 7, 2011

She wasn't saying it was an issue, she was saying that it is unfortunate that there are seemingly less people for you to learn from in the workforce and outside of school. You learn a knowledge set in school that is great. You learn a completely different skill set when you actual start working. I guarantee you will want nurses who have been doing it for years there to help you out when your text books fail you.
Age seems to be a big issue but to me it is time spent on the floor. My best charge nurse was "young" at the age of 32. She only had an ADN at the time but she was good and had been a nurse for almost 11 years! Actual age isn't what she, I think, meant to point out lacking, it is age in nursing years...

She seems to be taking issue with nurses of young ages. Fact is, a 27 year old that has been a nurse for five years will have more experience and more to bring to the table than a forty year old who is just starting nursing school. Age certainly doesn't equal experience, and that is the issue I take with her post.

OCNRN63, RN · Dec 7, 2011

*Facepalm*
She's bemoaning the edging out of experienced nurses by employers eager to hire newer nurses who are more desperate for work and willing to work for less, thus driving down wages and driving out older nurses.
It wasn't a commentary on your nursing ability.
Sheesh.

Here you go...for future reference:

OCNRN63, RN · Dec 8, 2011

She seems to be taking issue with nurses of young ages. Fact is, a 27 year old that has been a nurse for five years will have more experience and more to bring to the table than a forty year old who is just starting nursing school. Age certainly doesn't equal experience, and that is the issue I take with her post.

And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 27y old with 5 yrs. exp.

Rico84 · Dec 8, 2011

I love 20+ years, old school nurses!...As a new nurse, I don't feel comfortable going to a new RN bc they are a RN, I feel like less than 10 years and you still haven't seen it all. I hope one day to be a 30 year nurse and be able to guide the young ones like so many seasoned nurses have guided me.:) awww I think I'm going to pass out hugs tomorrow to them. haha

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2011

And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 27y old with 5 yrs. exp.

What I bolded are the important parts: one has 17 years' experience; the other has 5 years' experience. The ages are really inconsequential if you think about it...see the list below--all of the parties have the same experience as in the quoted sentence:

And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 50y old with 5 yrs. exp.
And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 30y old with 5 yrs. exp.
And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 40y old with 5 yrs. exp.

Of course, age does bring life lessons that should not be discounted--in fact, a lot of them are very valuable. But life lessons from age doesn't necessarily equate to replacing nursing experience.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2011

Wow.....I just spent some time in the hospital lately and I realized that mostly all of the nurse's are younger. Not an older, seasoned nurse in the bunch ! I am an "old school" nurse, been around a while, and It made me very sad that the younger ones don't have an older co-worker to learn from.
Personally, I like having an older, more experienced nurse helping me....they know so much.
What's your take on nursing these days ?
Praiser

more than half of my unit is young (under 30). we have some old nurses with very little experience. so patients may think, "i want the older nurse" thinking she is more experienced when in reality she is a lot less experienced than the 28 year old nurse that looks 20. we have VERY FEW older experienced nurses. very few nurses on my unit have over 5 years nursing experience. and it is a terrible thing sometimes. however i am in awe when i see someone who has been doing it for 30 years still able to handle the physical aspect of the job after 30 years at it.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 8, 2011

I don't have a problem with your educational plans. It's your hostile tone that's bothersome.

Hardly hostile, but why the OP feels the need to single out younger nurses is bothersome. Age does not correlate with experience, and it doesn't take a genius to recognize that.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 8, 2011

And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 27y old with 5 yrs. exp.

And yet, not every forty year old has seventeen years of nursing experience and not every 27 year old has just five (some can have up to eight if they started right out of high school), so what is your issue?

Also want to point out that having seventeen years of experience doesn't automatically mean that person is a great nurse. It is the quality of the time that counts, not so much the quantity. It is about the willingness to learn.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 8, 2011

What I bolded are the important parts: one has 17 years' experience; the other has 5 years' experience. The ages are really inconsequential if you think about it...see the list below--all of the parties have the same experience as in the quoted sentence:
And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 50y old with 5 yrs. exp.
And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 30y old with 5 yrs. exp.
And a 40y old with 17y experience has more to bring to the table than a 40y old with 5 yrs. exp.
Of course, age does bring life lessons that should not be discounted--in fact, a lot of them are very valuable. But life lessons from age doesn't necessarily equate to replacing nursing experience.

Exactly. And, again, she seems to mistake quantity for quality and age with experience. Not true. I will have more experience by 30 than someone who has started nursing later in life.

Nurses eat their young...I thought that had to do with experience and not with actual age. Guess it is applicable to age as well. Wonder why she [seems] more accepting of an older, less experience nurse than a younger nurse with nearly 10 years of experience?