Nurses are getting younger...

Coming from the oldest person in my traditional BSN program (I'm only 32!), I can see this being true!

Well, thank god for that...because of all the baby nurses now, you will have some experienced ones taking care of you when you get in that bed!!!

A few years ago I served as night shift preceptor in the SICU for an 18 year old new grad RN. In fact she had only turned 18 in March, graduated in May, and I met her in July for night shift orientation. While she only looked 12 to me (I wanted to ask her if her mommy knew she was out so late) she was one smart cookie and took to the SICU like a duck to water. She worked for us for a little over two years while doing an online RN to BSN program then applied to CRNA school. She wasn't accepted even though on paper she was a good candidate, certainly I had seen many poorer candidates get accepted. I think it was because at age 20 she looked 14. She took off and did some travel nursing for a couple of years and reapplied. She is currently into her second year of CRNA school and will graduate at the ripe age of 24. At 22 when she re-applied she was an RN, BSN, CCRN with 4 years of solid ICU experience behind her.

While she was a joy to precept due to her willingness to jump right into anything and being such a fast learner, it did make me feel old to work with her.

Finishing my BSN and starting work at 22, I didn't FEEL young even though I did my BSN in one swoop right after high school...but I was definitely the youngest nurse on my unit. However, I precepted some juniors from UT's nursing program and that definitely made even ME feel old at the ripe old age of 23. Haha.

I've always been the "baby" on the unit. Ofcourse now that I'm 24 years old that is soon to be changed. I became a nurse at 20 years of age. Nursing has aged me a bit, I must admit.

That illustration is so funny and cute lol

As a nurse in her early 20's I kind of think this is offensive and rude. Maybe we look young but a lot of us are darn good nurses.

lol!!! It's a funny cartoon.

But it is what happens, the nurses that have been there for many years, sees us coming in, makes them think of us as so young. But they sometimes forget that they started off young too and we are just trying to get our experience in the career we love just like they did, umpteen years ago. I am 27 years old but I look like I am going on 18, so it is a downfall when they see me. But they do not know I have worked in healthcare for close to 10 years prior to becoming a nurse and I am well prepared to do my job. It's sad but we have to do a lot of proving ourselves to get the respect from the older population that are still in nursing. But I do not let it bother me, I just try to have confidence and do my best.

WOW! what a good post. If she has already accomplished all this at 24 yrs of age imagine where she will be in 10 yrs. I hope she will be an advocate for safe patient care and staffing ratios.

As a nurse in her early 20's I kind of think this is offensive and rude. Maybe we look young but a lot of us are darn good nurses.

*** Of course you are. We know that. The cartoon is about US, the old people. Not about the very young, but highly competent young nurses we work with. It's about how working with you guys makes US feel old. It's not a comment on the skill or competency of young nurses.

WOW! what a good post. If she has already accomplished all this at 24 yrs of age imagine where she will be in 10 yrs. I hope she will be an advocate for safe patient care and staffing ratios.

*** We used to kid her that she could dispense narcotics but not buy a beer. Don't worry she is a young lady who has already formed some informed opinions on several nursing related subjects and isn't the back down type. I still see her fairly often, I even took report from her on an emergency AAA repair case she had done with her CRNA preceptor a little while ago. It was very satisfying to see a young nurse I had helped to train be so successful.