pforte

Sorry I came in so late to this discussion! I'm fascinated by it. For my organization, I am the person who gets to do what I call our "Magnet Math" -- lining up all the leadership roles and counting those with the "required credentials" in the hope that each year we have the "right percentage." This can be complex and even annoying especially when I see the amazing leadership skills of those nurses who have not chosen the "traditional" path. I am also a nurse who, at age 58, has spent the last 6 years S-L-O-W-L-Y finishing a post-master's FNP certificate (I should be able to sit for boards this coming summer). I love learning however, going to school in the midst of a large leadership job can be messy and frustrating at times. I have to remind myself that it will help me achieve my own personal and professional goals. I was a CNS long before we had certification exams (the 1970s) -- so that educational preparation "doesn't count" any more. I had my masters and even my PhD before most of the faculty who now serve as my professors pursued theirs. One of the difficulties I see in nursing (and have seen for some time) is our reluctance to recognize that new knowledge enters the field constantly and at a VERY fast pace. Keeping up (and that means current credentials) is hard, but if you want to stay at the cutting edge, it is what you must do. I am eager to be done with this portion of my education, but I look forward to the reward of being able to work as an FNP as long as I choose, in some capacity. For me, that will likely be into my 70s. My 21st century credentials should last me well into the future I see for myself. I hope you will not be discouraged in finding your way through your dilemma. We are all the products of our choices. Good luck in the path you choose. I wish you happiness there! --paula forte, RN, MSN, PhD, NEA-BC, CWCN

]Fascinating forum... ]I'm 57 and in my final year of a post-masters FNP certification. I just finished wound certification this year. If the FNP goes well, I intend to also pick up a psych-mental health credential -- all this before I turn 60. ] ]My plan is to be like that 70 year old NP described earlier -- she was working in pain management -- I suspect I'll be working in family nursing (helping families make sense of the health conditions, disabiltities and tragedies they encounter). ] ]Right now, I am a clinical practice specialist. I wrote our hospital's Magnet document in 2007 and we were awarded Magnet designation in 2008. My job is largely a "desk job" but I get out on the units with some frequency, even though I don't have a patient assignment. ] ]This summer, with clinical hours required for school, I've offered myself to the nurse managers for about 10 weekends (two of them are holiday weekends). I'm also dropping to 0.8 FTE appointment for those 5 pay periods, just to be able to juggle work and school. ] ]I wrote an article recently for Sigma Theta Tau's newsletter for retired or retiring nurses. In it I said about the strategies I'm using to prepare for old-age... ] ]- ]I've decided I like working, so I'm going to keep working (as long as they'll have me!). To that end, I'm back in school to finish a post-master's FNP certification and also pick up wound care certification. My own organization will likely put these skills to good use when I graduate, so that is one way to enhance my value to the organization, and meet my own needs. ]- ]I've begun broadening my horizons for the work I want to do after I retire. For me, that is writing. I've started picking up a few classes in the community, joined a group for writers' and begun submitting morificecripts to popular publications. ]- ]I've increased my own savings for retirement and will continue to do so until I reach 6% of my gross earnings which my employer will match to 4% so, a total of 10% should continue to flow into my 401 K until I leave this employer. Using one of the retirement calculators, that should net over $200,000 more into my account if the money-market gods are kind. ]- ]I've started looking for ways to accelerate my mortgage payments. Just one extra payment a year can cut a decade off a 30-year conventional, fixed-rate mortgage. And, since I started this purchase late in life, I need to accelerate it all I can. Owning my home can provide not only housing but also an asset with clear opportunity for capital gains and sufficient equity to pursue a reverse mortgage if that should prove useful in my 80s. ]- ]I've also been busy pursuing friendships among young people. Many of them are nurses, since in my work I have easy access to bright, young, committed colleagues. Expanding my conversations by discussing ideas outside of my age cohort has been enlarging and enlightening. I like to think it keeps me young. That may not be true, but I know it keeps my thinking more contemporary. ]- ]I've had a dexa-scan to determine my bone health, a colonoscopy to assure my gut health, and a yearly mammogram to be sure any cancer there is detected early. I've completed advanced directives and, I'm thinking of having DNR/DNI tatooed over my left breast, just to reinforce my wishes. ]- ]I've joined an exercise club where I can work out with relative privacy and not have to expose my matronly pudginess to the world of young, fit 30-somethings. But, by working out, I hope to regain a healthier weight, buy a few more years before having my knees replaced and extend the life of my brain since the research on Alzheimer's is now showing exercise to be somewhat preventative. ] ]Is it enough? Who knows? But what I do know from a career-long appreciation for locus of control, is that by taking action I reinforce my own responsibility rather than feeling like a victim of my circumstances. We're all getting older - it beats the alternative. What we do with our retiring years is either up to us or will be left to someone else to manage for us. For me, self-determination has always been the easier choice. ] ]Hope others will continue to write here. ]--p