how old is to old for medsurge

[reddellrn]

im wondering if im to old for med surge, its so freaking busy i can barley keep up. but the pay is good where i work. there are many younger nurses compared to us older girls. is there a reason?

[itsmejuli]

Whatever...I don't think age has so much to do with it as physical and mental fitness.

I've met young people that I can run circles around in a 12 hour shift.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My former coworker is 58 years of age, in seemingly good physical shape, and has been a nurse longer than I've been alive. She very recently resigned from the rehab hospital where we worked in order to accept a full-time med/surg position at a local hospital.

[mindlor]

This is an easy one, you are too old when you can no longer do the work

[nurse.sandi]

I think each person is unique and an individual. So, with that said, as long as you can still do it..keep up the good work. I am sure the case loads are heavier than the ICU. My experience when I worked on the med-surge floor was that most of my patients were "walkie, talkies". So, I usually had to assess and administer meds, and chart. The computer documentation is very time consuming, but thorough which is a good thing. However, it just seems theres not enough time to get everything done. I remember this and occ. have to remind nurses I am giving report to that this is a 24 hour facility. Meaning it keeps on going. If I do not get something done I try and be polite and tell the oncoming nurse why I could not do all my tasks. It happens. Codes, sicker patients, fire drills, meetings, etc. I think it takes new, old, and older nurses to keep nursing going. We were all new at one time and if we retire from nursing at the new age of retirement like 70 we will be older. Being an older nurse has a lot of advantages, like just walking into the room and knowing what is wrong with the patient. I find that I get better as I get older, maybe a little slower but my fight or flight kicks in when I need it. Good luck.

[nurse.sandi]

I think mid to late forties is the average age for registered nurses now adays.

[Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN]

103 yrs old, if she has a bad back, cracking knees, and occasional chest pains and is often confused with being a patient - otherwise all nurses are welcomed on the MedSurg Floor

[orangepink, NP]

there is no such thing as too old in nursing!

True story: 60+ year old male nurse uses walker in med surg floor here in our city.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

You can probably keep up, but it's harder to bounce back inbetween shifts as you get older. Try yoga/pilates to reduce stress, get a good amount of sleep, eat a good diet and reduce ur stress with other activities you enjoy, not just sitting in front of the TV. I did the above which helped a lot and I also take a multivitamin a day - oh and a cappucino does wonders!!

[RNAM1965]

I just found out that 3 of our best nurses are in their 60's. They work circles around rest of staff and are much more thorough. They don't waste time moaning or complaining either. They get to work and it is great to work on shift with them--don't have to hold their hands or answer a million questions.