roofrn

The saying might go, "Old nurses don't retire..... they just expire!" Nurses are a tribe, and nobody wants to voluntarily leave the tribe unless they have to. That said, it may be time for some nurses to start doing a different type of nursing. There are all sorts of nursing jobs out there, in less stressful situations than emergency nursing. There are wonderful homecare situations, where caring for a disabled child or adult with a trach and a vent in a one-on-one situation, is possible; or doing a flu clinic or health fair with a group of nurses. There are resident camp nursing jobs, school nursing jobs, telephone nursing, all kinds of different applications of the nursing skill set. The ED may not be the ideal situation for a nurse who is no longer totally fit, but it doesn't mean she has to retire. I am an older RN, but I got my license late in life and can still run a 5k. When I can no longer finish a 12-hr shift with all my faculties still in high gear, then I will look for a less stressful environment. I have met many nurses who are in their 70s or even nearing 80, who work part-time in a sub-acute situation that fits with their retirement and are happy with that. Your friend in the ED may need some job counseling if she is afraid of retiring completely, and some help to find another job. And she will need to hear that others are having a hard time taking up the slack, but they are also there for her, and support her in the change to something less stressful.

55 during first RN school semester,, finished at 56 and still going strong! ;o)

I got my RN license in my 50s, and I was NOT the oldest person in my class who passed the NCLEX that year. If you have energy, are organized and passionate about taking your nursing career to a new level, go for it. You will need to strategize about the most efficient way to go from LPN to RN, whether you want a BS or an AS degree. But there is no reason not to if you really want it. I have encountered older nurses who are still working in their 70s, maybe not doing the hardest med/surg, ICU or OP jobs, but still active and giving their expertise to patients in need.

Being partly responsible for being fired (e.g. making a mistake even if it does not lead to harm, e.g. in documentation or not correcting mistakes of others, forgetting to write something down or depending on bad advice from a charge nurse, blah-blah-blah) has initially the same effect as having injured a patient. Not only do you lose your job, but a complaint goes to the Board even when it does not lead to harm which leads to defending your license and being in bureaucratic and legal hell for as long as it takes to take remedial courses and get the investigation closed. Having too many patients and not enough support in your job and making a mistake is YOUR problem as long as punitive, corporate-driven healthcare dominates and employment law does not protect employees. This is what drives otherwise effective, ethical nurses to hate hospital work and quit. Get good liability insurance from the start and make sure it covers license defense. If you get terminated, you'll have to scrounge for awhile with per diems and eventually maybe get a full time position again.