HangInThere

For anyone who is following this thread and likes the fine print, this is a report, The Social Security Retirement Age : https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44670/14

I learned that after full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for me, there is no penalty on earned income. But, if at age 62-67 I earned over $21,240 annually, there is a penalty.

I'm looking at the numbers, and I'm leaning toward claiming at 62 (at the lower benefit). It could work for me, and I can pick up part-time work and keep that income below the annual earnings limit of $21,240. I have a union pension that will kick in $10K/year at 65 and I can start 403b distributions any time at a conservative 4% (if needed). My full retirement age is 67 (born in 1961). Playing with these options lightens my spirits a bit, and I feel a door open when I think of working only part-time.

I'm researching Social Security and found this in a few articles in early April: "Recently, the Social Security Administration announced that its cash reserves will run out in 2034, a year earlier than earlier projected. When this happens, the agency will continue to pay benefits based on its ongoing tax revenue. This will require cutting benefits to about three-quarters of their current levels." Ouch.

Wow, the thread is alive again! Thank you hannahbanana and londonflo for good points about Social Security benefits. I love exchanging info in real $ figures from real people. I will hit up the local SocSec office and also see how other CPAs look at the options. It's one decision that I want to become fully informed about, especially when considering where my salary range could be if I work in the next 6 years. I like MySocialSecurity.gov! Cool diagrams to scrutinize options for claiming at different ages. This is one decision that will not be impulsive. No way. Taking it day-by-day. You know, one day I'll wake up and have no energy to even THINK about continue nursing in any form. Burn-out blues. But then, the next day I'll wake up and say to myself, "Yeah! Go get 'em and get creative and find that fantastic remote RN gig." On that day, I'll search and get an application out or learn about different options, and the time feels well-spent. Not sure if this cycle of exhaustion/optimism is normal following years of short-staffing and unsafe working conditions, but I am keeping track and am starting to see improvements in my sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Taking a break was a good decision, but I have a ways to go before I reach that elusive state of homeostasis. Cheers and thx to you good people.

About a year has passed since the last comment on this thread, but it feels very much alive to me today. I wonder how you and your friends and fans (fanatics, perhaps?) are doing this Spring in 2023? I'm 61, physically well but emotionally burned out. I keep thinking, "I'll get a nursing job online. No, relax. I'll apply at a local outpatient clinic. Not yet, just chill and feel proud of what you've done. After all, you worked full-time inpatient and risked exposure to COVID for 2.5 years." It was draining. It was hard. I am not alone, and admire nurses who have the resilience to carry on. But now I am wondering about what to do next, because this Summer I could take the plunge and register with Social Security to start claiming at 62. Should I? I quit my RN inpatient psych job in the city last Thanksgiving and moved to a house with some land around it in a rural county. I tried out a local job at half the pay and the same challenging working conditions. Quit. Will I every be a full-time nurse again? Just reading about your steps to embrace retirement, Davey, and laugh at your cartoons just to read them again and feel them resonate, has been so good for me. Thanks.

When someone I work with whispers something to me, chances is are it's not kind and not PC. I don't tolerate it.

Please share every possible intervention to increase safety and reduce those all-to-familiar unit wide meltdowns. For aggressive patients with borderline personality disorder, I have made a written list with them at the start of my shift. We review it to check off their demands as they are met. I've seen these patients verbally assault every staff member, one by one, who passes through the unit - from dietician to supply clerk.

Okay, I see where you guys are coming from. So there were some things I omitted from my OP. For instance, the patient was built like a tank. And, he had attempted to strangle me during an earlier stay on our unit.

How about asking the patient, "What kind of dog do you have? When did you last see your dog? Have you lost your dog before?" Listening to the patient answer questions like these questions might inform you about the patient's orientation to reality. If their answers make sense, you will also have more information to give to the social worker if they can follow up.

"Who is in charge here?" said Mr. D, a 67-year-old retired police sergeant with dementia. "Mr. D., I'm the Charge Nurse tonight," I said. "What's your concern?" "No! Who is the manager of this institution? I wish to make a formal complaint," said Mr. D. "The manager's name is Ms. G.," I said. "This place is run like a madhouse!" he shouts. "I don't know when my blood will be taken and I don't know when my medication is coming!" His voice deepened and he fixed his stance. "They took my phone, and my mother is worried about me, and how can I call my mother? They took my damn belt, and my pants are falling down!" "Okay, let's take one thing at a time," I said. "You took my phone! Who has my phone? Where's my phone?" he said as he glared at me. "That, oh Charge Nurse, is against the law!" Just then, my colleague Nurse Maria approached us. She stood about 8 feet to the side of Mr. D. She said, "Mr. D., do you have your mother's phone number?" Still staring at me, Mr. D answered, "I have it in my mind." "Let me write it down for you," Nurse Maria offered. "It's 3:30 a.m. You're in the hospital, and everyone is sleeping. In the morning after breakfast, the phone is turned on. I can help you make the call. Let me write that number down." Mr. D nodded while still glaring at me, and said the telephone number. She wrote it down and said, "Now you can rest, Mr. D., because you will call her in the morning. Remember, Juliana and I will help you make the call." Mr. D. did not break eye contact with me but also nodded. Nurse Maria said, "Now, it's a good idea to go back to bed." Mr. D. nodded and turned toward his room. What happened? As the interaction escalated between the patient and me, a more experienced nurse interpreted the emotional nature of Mr. D.'s demands and acted as a third party to diffuse the situation. Veselinova (2014) writes, "An individual with dementia may be sensitive to the tone of voice and may feel intimidated or frustrated by extreme levels of speech and tone" (p. 164). Nurse Maria introduced a calm, measured verbal redirection that was fluent with Mr. D.'s actual need for emotional support. Nurses who adapt the way they communicate can encourage increased communication with individuals with dementia (Veselinova, 2014). Through the night, to build the rapport initiated by Nurse Maria, I returned to Mr. D. to address his needs. He told me he could not sleep, so I offered to set up a recliner near the TV in a quiet corner of the unit. Once his feet were up with a pillow behind his head, he said, "This is fine." Later on, when he said, "I'm tired of this," I walked him to the dining room for a change of scene. The next night at 4:00 a.m., I asked if he would like to play cards to pass the time. He replied, "Black Jack." We played until 5:00 a.m., and that's when he began to tell me about his memories, his family life, and his police work. The interactions with Mr. D showed me that once a patient has at least one of his needs met, he feels heard and understood. Nurse Maria's keenly placed offer to redirect the patient initiated a workable relationship between a patient with dementia and me. Not only did this diffuse a situation that might have escalated, but it also opened a door to a trusting relationship between Mr. D. and me. The next night, Mr. D actually slept a few hours and at 4:00 a.m., he asked me to play Black Jack with him again. When your patients angrily confront you, what do you do? Reference Veselinova, C. (2014). Influencing communication and interaction in dementia. Nursing and Residential Care 16(3), 162-166. Retrieved from http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/toc/nrec/current

I work in NYC, and our DON says we now have 75%, but new hires will bring it to 80% by 2020. That 80% threshold seems to be his goal.

You just made me alternately lol and sigh so many times. Thx. I got pulled into a committee by free pizza - like, really decent NY pizza - but crawled my way out asap. Got my BSN, got my certification, and soon will have 5 years to be vested in the pension. Now I can hang tight and watch the show, I guess. Good luck to you.

You just made me alternately lol and sigh so many times. Thx. I got pulled into a committee by free pizza - like, really decent NY pizza - but crawled my way out asap. Got my BSN, got my certification, and soon will have 5 years to be vested in the pension. Now I can hang tight and watch the show, I guess. Good luck to you.

I work in a large city hospital. We were taken over one year ago by a larger hospital system, and most of the top-tier administrators are new. We keep hearing about shared governance and introducing a clinical nursing ladder, but I just realized they're prepping for magnet status. Nursing administration is top-heavy now. Our nursing union rep says that these processes separate nurses and threaten unity. I see her point. I have my specialty certification and they are reimbursing me for my completing my online BSN this year. I am alternately cynical and hopeful for positive changes. At the same time, we nurses throughout the hospital want more IV decks, more nursing aides - and my unit has requested a second vitals signs machine for three years. They can't seem to find even that small amount of money in their budget. (Don't throw us parties, give us a #@%& vital signs machine!) From the point of view of wanting to keep my job and managing the stress of change, what else do I need to know to play this game? And, where has climbing the clinical nursing ladder taken you?