Old nurse in pediatrics

[PPediRN]

I would like to know how younger nurses would feel about a much older nurse working in pediatrics. For example, if your child were hospitalized would you be ok with a much older nurse caring for your child? Would you trust an older nurse? Do you think pediatrics is appropriate for someone of age? I'm asking because pediatrics has always been my dream job. I have been to a few interviews at different Children's hospitals but never hired and I feel like it is my age that is turning people off. I can remember one interview in particular where I was asked, "So Ms. PPediRN, if we hired you, how long do you think you would stay with us? A couple of years? Until you retire?" It felt like a slap in the face and I had never considered my age as something that would hold me back from my dream job. Thanks in advance for your response. I value what you guys think. -PPediRN

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Oh, I can. Interviewers ask similar questions to that all the time (though with more politically correct wording). What do you think all those "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" questions are really all about? They are really asking what your mid-range career plans are. When applicants start talking about their big plans for careers not directly related to the job they are applying for now, that tells me that they are not planning to stay. They are looking for a short-term, stepping-stone only.

I hate that question. I can tell you for sure 5 years ago that I wouldn't have seen myself where I am now. Maybe it's because of my medical history but I don't tend to think 5 years in the future. Other than my first job (my "dream" job and the only job I applied for as a new grad), I wouldn't have seen myself working in any of the positions I've held 5 years earlier.

[pedi_nurse]

I don't think there is necessarily a bias among staff regarding older nurses. Our older nurses on the peds floor I worked were beloved and appreciated. However, they have often been there for 10+ years. Pulling from memory about 7 years ago, I don't think there was anyone over 45 in my orientation group though, so perhaps there is a bit of a bias from management. As far as patients go, I never heard of any family issues regarding having an older nurse for their child - the issues we usually heard about were families being unhappy with a "foreign" nurse (their loss that they got me, a new grad, rather than a seasoned nurse).

I do think that peds often looks for energetic and friendly people. Being a competent nurse is obviously most important, but so is being able to initiate playing games with your patient, having a dance party in the hallway, or having a chugging contest to get a kid to drink their miralax. There's definitely the possibility for some unacknowledged bias against older nurses for this reason (thinking of older individuals as not fun or energetic), but I think it's more likely management was simply wanted to make sure they are hiring someone who will stick around.

[bananas1]

Some of the patients/parents ive talked to find the older nurses more stuck in their ways/stuck in old-school ways, whereas younger seem to be more flexible. But I think that comes down to length of time in one place, rather than the older nurses that are 'new' in a particular area.