middle-aged newbie

If you feel drawn to nursing, go for it!! It's your life. Take nurses' venting with a grain of salt. Nursing is my second career. I wish I'd gone into it sooner. Many ups and downs in this job, but it's very rewarding and worth it for me.

Thank you, ThePrincessBride. I appreciate your perspective

Thank you, RNperdiem and DavidFR. Reading your posts gives me hope! Great advice.

I'm a 50 yo new nurse working nights on a med-surg unit. I love my work but my coworkers are unbearable! Most of the other night shift nurses are half my age and extremely immature. I thought that people choosing the nursing profession would be professional. The gossip, talking behind my back and unsupportive environment are unbearable. I do my best to be positive despite the social challenges but I leave work wanting to cry my eyes out. Is this environment normal in the nursing world? If I leave my job before one year I'll be blacklisted by this very large healthcare system that is everywhere in my state so I don't want to do that but I don't know how much more I can take. Any advice?

I'm 51 and a new nurse. I started on a med-surg specialty unit this year. I am handling the 12 hour night shifts physically just fine. However, the other night shift nurses are all very young and most of them are extremely immature. I wouldn't mind except that the gossip and talking behind my back and lack of support are unbearable. It's so bad that I dread going to work. Is this the norm out there in the nursing world? Although I'm on a specialty unit, we get a lot of overflow from other units, as of late. I'm seeing a wide array of patients. It's very interesting. I would love my job if the situation wasn't so bad with my coworkers. I hope you find a better experience out there-best of luck to you.