Older workers that are new grad nurses, please explain.

[wish_me_luck]

Hi,

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.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

xo, being online is very different than in person. In person you have tone, body language, etc. Online, well, it is written word. I am in my mid twenties. I am not disclosing my exact age.

[dotoriffic]

I don't see a problem with people that want to live at home or with other family members or roommates. I do it. My parents are no longer living so my siblings and I have relied on each other over the years, whether going to school, going through medical issues or divorce. At one point, we all lived in my sister's house (thankfully it's large) with all of our kids along with us! You do what you need to do to get by and make ends meet. If you really want to hold out until you get your dream position, go for it! One of my nieces lives in Virginia and she is a nurse. I am not sure how the job market I there though...just be cautious not to burn any bridges and keep volunteering and do what you can to keep your skills active and not have a long break from nursing on your resume. I'm assuming you have networked with other nurses in the department you want or others that may know about the turn-over rate or other options you could do in the meantime??

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I am trying not to burn bridges. I agree, you do what you need to in order to survive. I do not even think it is bad. Family close; if they are decent with help, you have a babysitter for kids when you are working and you switch when they work; the rent/house payment is split more ways so it is lower and you save more money personally. We truly are one of the few countries that have the mentality that you must move out of the house at 18 or there abouts. Some countries have several generations living together.

Since I do not have money to just blow through (I pay for my stuff, but don't blow it); I tend to find enjoyment and pleasure in the simplier things in life. Music, planting flowers, going to the park and being outside, volunteering. I am happy. I do not have a Ferrari, but that is not what I want. I want my dream job and happiness. I know I will not be rich, but hopefully, I will stay happy.

I know it may be difficult for people in this thread to understand, but I am liked in real life. One thing about me is that I am very honest---take it or leave it. Do people always agree with me? Heck no. But, I speak my mind and I know what I want.

[nursejune14]

If these new older grads have been SUCCESSFUL in another field first it will aid them in NSG! It has to do with already having their decision making and organizational skills honed which is what the first phase of nursing (or most other careers) is all about. Decades ago I finished NSG School in a horrendous shortage and started to work in ICU the night of the day I finished school and had obviously not even sat Boards! Many years later I asked my DON why she had taken such a risk to hire a new grad for ICU and she said it was because I had been successful in another field first. Nowadays she is a Hospital Administrator so her out of the box way of doing things must have been more than just alright!!! Just the way life is... Success A counts toward Success B.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

If these new older grads have been SUCCESSFUL in another field first it will aid them in NSG! It has to do with already having their decision making and organizational skills honed which is what the first phase of nursing (or most other careers) is all about. Decades ago I finished NSG School in a horrendous shortage and started to work in ICU the night of the day I finished school and had obviously not even sat Boards! Many years later I asked my DON why she had taken such a risk to hire a new grad for ICU and she said it was because I had been successful in another field first. Nowadays she is a Hospital Administrator so her out of the box way of doing things must have been more than just alright!!! Just the way life is... Success A counts toward Success B.

^I can agree with THIS.

Not everyone is "successful" in a previous career; meaning if a person was a job hopper, did not venture to do projects, etc, etc, then certain "skills" may not be a transferable as one thinks they should. There are people who ran into this profession because of the attractiveness of flexibility, etc., thinking that they can get those benefits out the gate, and they won't. One has to start out at ground zero.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I also think that making the assumption that a person in their 20s not having a mortgage, etc., is FLAWED as DHG stated in her post as a mid-20 something with a husband and a mortgage. I bought my first house when I was 25. Fast forward 7 years later, I don't make the assumption that I get a job over someone because I have "bills." Most of us, regardless of age, have them, whether it's new debt, or continuing debt. Like Esme said earlier, we are all hurting in this economic era.

On the other coin, making assumptions that one will be married and want children is a FLAWED assumption too, as WML expressed in her recent post.

If anything, WML is logical in deciding to do what's best for her. That is not the topic of this thread.

The more important point is how the assumptions are made when entering the nursing profession, regardless of age. One has a rude awakening on how "transferable" their skills are, especially depending on the area and the talent pool out there. As of this economic era, it takes a lot to "stand out", and some of those intangibles are across the board for most of the candidates out there.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

There are so many things that are considered in the decision making process of hiring someone....it is impossible to pigeon hole it into one thing.......even things in our past and backgrounds can appear as red flags to future employers.

It is tough out there right now

[swansonplace]

In reality, older workers have to work just as hard to get a job. Many employers are not in favor of them for whatever reason.

But logically, the market is skill based. So people with experience bring those skills to market.

For example, in a second time career person may have a computer background, so will have a great in to nursing infomatics, as it is a person who has knowledge of computers and nursing, and in general the two fields have difficulty communicating with each other. Every floor has a computer system, and hospitals want to optimize the number of nurses by using technology. So you see a nurse with software design experience can leverage that skill in addition to the nursing degree for a unique position like that.

Nursing is just the entrance into the medical field. It has many nuances that lend itself to combining fields, and making oneself marketable.

A person with a psych degree could combine it with nursing to work as a great psych nurse. It's the idea of increasing ones value by increasing the skill set one brings to the table, and it is at a cheaper price than the cost of 2 separate individuals.

In reality, older folks do have issues that must be overcome when they get a first nursing job. Younger folks have trouble too. These days people are just trying to get a job when they are getting more scarce. So off we go to build our skills and resumes to be competitive.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I think a solid work history is always helpful in landing a job, even if that history has nothing to do with the job being applied for. But how you present yourself and your experience is more important than the actual experience itself. A savvy person can parlay almost any experience into something relevant.

I had zero healthcare experience of any kind when I landed a job in a major hospital as a tech. I wasn't even a PN student til a year later. I beat out RN students, CNAs, even EMTs for a job that's viewed as a highly desirable stepping stone. I used my writing skills to make my resume stand out and land an interview and then used my ability to read people and tell them exactly what they want to hear to secure the job.

I think the reason older new grads do better than young new grads is because the older grads have played the whole Job Search and interview game longer. They know the tricks. I doubt very much that it's because the older grad had a 15 year career as a corporate consultant or something. Who cares?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

In reality, older workers have to work just as hard to get a job. Many employers are not in favor of them for whatever reason.

But logically, the market is skill based. So people with experience bring those skills to market.

For example, in a second time career person may have a computer background, so will have a great in to nursing infomatics, as it is a person who has knowledge of computers and nursing, and in general the two fields have difficulty communicating with each other. Every floor has a computer system, and hospitals want to optimize the number of nurses by using technology. So you see a nurse with software design experience can leverage that skill in addition to the nursing degree for a unique position like that.

Nursing is just the entrance into the medical field. It has many nuances that lend itself to combining fields, and making oneself marketable.

A person with a psych degree could combine it with nursing to work as a great psych nurse. It's the idea of increasing ones value by increasing the skill set one brings to the table, and it is at a cheaper price than the cost of 2 separate individuals.

In reality, older folks do have issues that must be overcome when they get a first nursing job. Younger folks have trouble too. These days people are just trying to get a job when they are getting more scarce. So off we go to build our skills and resumes to be competitive.

It's an assumption that having a psych degree + nursing would combine to be a great psych nurse. Alot of university students choose to pursue psych degrees because when they initially attend college/university, they do not have any sense of their career direction and the prerequisities for psych degree programs are so basic that any doorknob can get accepted into them. The course content is basic introductory and the little bit of knowledge sometimes just reinforces sterotypes about mental illness rather than provides true understanding. It definitely does not result in communication skills that are necessary to be a good psych nurse.

[swansonplace]

It's mainly the concept of leveraging existing skills with the new nursing background to increase ones value.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

A psych degree does not help understand mental illness. That is a misunderstanding. Psychology is really about basic normal human behavior. Abnormal psychology is usually just one class and it is usually last or an elective. You do not even talk about abnormal psych in any great detail until the Master's level.