I am not going to be popular with this thread, but here goes...I have seen quite a few posts about the older workers that are new grads thinking they deserve a job more because they had a previous career. Many times, these former careers are NOT healthcare related, so it does not help with their nursing career at all. My question to the older workers who are new grads is why do you feel like you deserve jobs over the younger new grads?
I feel like if anything, the older workers seem more entitled than younger workers. When you get a second career, you are starting at ground zero. So, let the opinions fly.
what does that have to do with a mortgage? That's what I am asking. I think we have come to equate having a house as being mature. I have seen mature people live at home and do what they are supposed to. I have seen people with a mortgage that blew their money and made poor choices.
My original question in the thread was people who are older feel like they have something more to offer with their previous non healthcare career than a younger person that nursing is their first career. What skills do they bring (because nursing is nursing)? It is a horse of different color and every new grad, old or young, starts at ground zero with no experience as a nurse. In all the replies, maybe 5-6 people told me what they brought. I am curious, I am not offering a job, I am just curious. If you don't like the thread, don't answer...
No... maturity comes from not ASSUMING things that you do not fully know, experienced or understand. A mature person (regardless of age) understands they do not know everything, asks questions, tries to see the whole picture and most importantly gets educated.
And the OP had asked the question. Never did I gather from the OP assumptions. If anything, several posters had assumptions about her, which upon revealing her personal experiences, more people were inclined to engage in her personal life and personal opinion, instead of answering the question.
Maturity allows one to engage in a discussion with one in a set opinion, set beliefs that we may not appreciate the delivery of, but can engage in enlightening a person-something we do as nurses everyday. :)
Lady, I think that is a better way to ask it. Who has examples of how they didn't have to start from ground zero coming from a different job background that is not healthcare?
Lady I think that is a better way to ask it. Who has examples of how they didn't have to start from ground zero coming from a different job background that is not healthcare?[/quote']
And for all the people getting bent out of shape over age, last I checked in order to have previous career for about 20 years, you have to be around 40 at least...it is not a age discrimination, it is what it is. You have to be older to have a former career. 20 somethings aren't old enough to have a former one.
Hopefully, someone has a story how they didn't start from ground zero from a non healthcare career.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
What do people who have a previous career bring to nursing? You'd be surprised by what can transfer from previous jobs. I once worked in the kitchen of a nursing home as a cook/baker/relief supervisor. I may not really use the skills I learned cooking and baking, but those supervisor skills taught me a lot about managing staffing with call outs, handling conflict, delegation, and yes, even in a kitchen, handling rapidly changing situations (grease fire or choking resident, anyone?). I also knew how to handle working a full time job. There are people coming out of college who may not have ever held even a part-time job, and not only do they need to learn how to do their job, they also need to learn how to work- showing up on time, being reliable, knowing how to communicate with coworkers. It isn't an age thing; I graduated nursing school at 22. It's about showing the person doing the hiring that you're a good investment and that you have the maturity and work ethic to do the job well.
After hire every new grad starts from ground zero but someone with a previous job history would tend to have experience delegating, working as a member of a team, and better organizational skills. Do they "deserve" the job more? No. Do they have a better chance of getting it? It depends on how they interview and their interpersonal skills. If you're going to hire based simply on a resume with no personality, those skills would be desirable and the resume with a previous job history may get it.
As far as comments about a mortgage and children keeping you put, I worked at the same hospital for 5 years as an RN and worked there for 2 years prior to that as a PCT. My husband and I bought a house when I was 24 and had our first child that same year. Two years later, I stopped working full time and started working per diem because my husband lost his job and joined the military. My house has been rented out for 4 years now. I have a mortgage and live 4000 miles away from that house and have had 2 more jobs since leaving that house.
I've been a nurse for 8 years. Does a new grad who might stay longer deserve a job more than me because I will probably be moving again in 3 years when my husband comes down on new orders? Not necessarily. Will they get the job over me? Quite possibly because they have a higher potential of staying in the area than I do. It's why I leave my personal life out of interviews. My employers have no need to know what my husband's job is. I have experience in several different nursing fields and am a good nurse but I've been turned down for a job because we move so much. That's the way of things. I'm not entitled to those jobs just because I want them.
Wish me luck - I want to say to you that I passed many more narcotics working on a general med/surg floor than when I worked in the ICU. I understand that you don't want to work in the ICU and I don't begrudge you that but if part of your reason is the narcotics, I spend shifts passing narcotics every 2 hours to my patients in med/surg. It would have been hell for my patients if I had to find another nurse to give them. It's hard enough to find a nurse to cosign the waste sometimes! With 6-8 patients (depending on the shift), it can be much harder to find someone to help than with the 1-3 patients I had in the unit. Just something to think about :) I wish you luck and hope you get a job offer that works for you.
Okay, so here's a scenario. Sue, age 48, worked as a financial advisor for 26 years and made $70, 000 a year. She decided she wanted a career that helped people and went back to nursing school and graduated. Jill, age 23, just graduated nursing school, as well. Her work history includes 5 years babysitting and volunteering. Then, she was able to land a CNA job at her local hospital, where she worked 2 years before graduating and becoming a nurse. Both are applying for the same job--a new grad position on a Med Surg floor (the pay is roughly $38,000 a year). Who do you give the job to and why?
No, it is not a school assignment (I am a nurse already and not in school.) I just made it up for discussion purposes.
For me-- Sue: Pros are that she has extensive work history; Cons are that she did not work healthcare and that she made a salary that was much more than what a new grad makes (assuming you are not in a city). Plus, she may retire in roughly 15 years.
Jill: Pros are that she had healthcare experience and she may feel like she is getting a huge pay raise from what she makes now (she would be okay with $38,000). Cons: she only has a max 7 years working, but only 2 years "real job" experience.
I would give the job to Jill, personally, because she has relevant work experience, I could possibly get 40 years out of her, and her salary expectations may be what I have to offer.
Now, what's your opinion?
The reality of it is that Jill is a part of the "microwave generation". They want it now. She may accept 38K to get into your internship, but she's jumping ship in 2 years to get 50K. Why I would look at Sue harder, she's 14 years away from being eligible for retirement, and if she's taking a 40K pay cut per year, then she's either sitting on a bank load from good investments, or she's got a husband at home with a good job, and she can afford to do what "she loves". I think she would stay longer than Jill, because her 401K looks tight after having worked 26 years for the same company. Sue needs to make more money NOW to save up for retirement, and still enjoy the finer things in life.
Why neither may stay: Sue wants weekends/holidays off with her family, Jill wants nights/weekends off to hang with her friends.
Point of the story: That first job, which is so important, may just be a stepping stone for Jill, who is at the beginning of her career, but it may be the last hurrah for Sue, who coming closer to the end. Just my opinion.
I am 43 years old. Nursing will be my second career. I have my B.S degree and I used that to obtain my first career right out of college and stayed with that company for 20 years. I have rented apartments and owned a home, but depending upon the area you live in that may or may not matter. Many cities have more people renting than owning. I don't think any employer regardless of industry bases a hiring decision on that. It's the complete package they look for. No, I have never felt any sense of entitlement. I didn't choose to go into nursing just because of my family or any connections they have. That actually doesn't help in my city. The two major hospitals we have here have policies in place when hiring family members of current employees. I think that previous employment, education, the interview interactions and overall demeanor of the applicant and the position they are applying for will determine who gets that position.
I always take the posts on here with a grain of salt as communication online is different than face to face. I think the question is valid, "what do those, like myself bring to the table when coming from a non-nursing background?" There are positives and negatives from all sides and it depends on the position you are trying for and the facility that is hiring. It's best to know the market, the place you are applying to, the type of people that work there and the turn-over.
For those old enough to remember the Reagan/Mondale debate when asked about age being a factor for the presidency...after they had said he was the oldest President we had ever had...his comeback was that he would not use Mondale's youth and inexperience against him. Funny stuff.
Many times, these former careers are NOT healthcare related, so it does not help with their nursing career at all. My question to the older workers who are new grads is why do you feel like you deserve jobs over the younger new grads?
What do you base the statement "so it does not help with their nursing career at all" on?
It is the crux of your whole argument yet you appear to have not done any research on the topic, I haven't see you reference any studies to validate your position. You also have never worked as a nurse so you can't be basing this on your experience as a nurse observing new grads performance in a collegial or an administrative position.
You use the term "deserve" which I find curious as the term is oft used in reference to younger generations rather than older. I can't say I have ever interviewed a candidate over age of 25 that I felt had a sense of entitlement. I am sure they exist I just don't see it commonly.
In my professional experience both in "healthcare related" field and a" NOT healthcare related" field is that, in aggregate, those individuals with more work and life experience are better investments in terms of hiring and training. A prior work history provides references to the professionalism of the candidate in a formal role, it indicates aptitude in the work environment, and provides a timeline for how invested they are in their work. These all provide insight into the individual I am hiring and investing in.
From a personal perspective, I worked in business management for 8 years prior to starting a career in nursing and I can honestly say the experience was invaluable. It has helped from the day I was hired to today and it will tomorrow and the next day. I gained professionalism, communication, humility, customer service skills, confidence, and other intangible skills that have helped me throughout my career.
Finally the real deciding factor here is the market: who actually gets hired? You can look at this thread and see who is unemployed or never-employed and see the answer to that question.
And I am not "old" at 33.
You seem to be fond of scenarios so here is one for you: you are going to loan 15,000 to someone. Do you loan the money to the person with references from ten major banks showing they have paid back loans in the past or the person who has no references from anyone?
What do you base the statement "so it does not help with their nursing career at all" on?
You can look at this thread and see who is unemployed or never-employed .
You seem to be fond of scenarios so here is one for you: you are going to loan 15,000 to someone. Do you loan the money to the person with references from ten major banks showing they have paid back loans in the past or the person who has no references from anyone?
The question was rhetorical, but I'll answer anyway.
You loan the money to the person with the track record.
I'd choose the 22 year old worker with four years of CNA or LPN experience before the forty year-old accountant with ZERO healthcare-related work experience. To me, age shouldn't even be a factor when considering who gets what, and reverse ageism is just as bad as ageism itself.
wish_me_luck, BSN, RN
1,110 Posts
what does that have to do with a mortgage? That's what I am asking. I think we have come to equate having a house as being mature. I have seen mature people live at home and do what they are supposed to. I have seen people with a mortgage that blew their money and made poor choices.
My original question in the thread was people who are older feel like they have something more to offer with their previous non healthcare career than a younger person that nursing is their first career. What skills do they bring (because nursing is nursing)? It is a horse of different color and every new grad, old or young, starts at ground zero with no experience as a nurse. In all the replies, maybe 5-6 people told me what they brought. I am curious, I am not offering a job, I am just curious. If you don't like the thread, don't answer...