question about age

Go to a professional job coach who can look at your resume, make changes that make it stand out, and then coach you in an interview process.

Acute care is not the be all and end all. Have you ever worked as a nurse? It is a little unclear from your posting.

If you have 6 years of nursing experience, regardless of what kind of experience, with that comes an expectation of a starting salary that is not at a new grad/ 1 or 2 year in nurse salary. So in essence, they could hire 2 of you for what you may think is a fair salary.

You could start getting certifications. ACLS/PALS/NALS that kind of thing. If there is a particular area of acute care you are interested in, you could look into whatever certifications that you might want to get.

You may want to start the process for a masters degree.

Finally, you may want to do urgent care, an MD office, camp or school nursing, outpatient infusion--something that you may enjoy doing, but doesn't have the acute care frenzy to it.

If you are currently in LTC, you may find that by wanting to go into acute care, it is akin to jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Best wishes.

Everything jade said. Are you willing to work nights?

My first job was rehab in a ltc that gave me experience enough to get a job at an acute care facility. I was 47 when I graduated; 48 when I got my hospital job.

I'm 50 myself and I hope it's okay to ask since your question is about age, do you appear to be aging? I work with nurses in their 60's+ so 46 seems relatively young to me, especially if you appear in good health with comparable energy.

Some of our staff are in their 40's and work out/run and literally appear younger by their health and fitness than our younger staff, I don't think anyone would think their laugh lines would affect their ability to perform on the floor but it's pretty scary if they would.

many hospital nursing directors do not see LTC experience relating to acute care experience. I doubt your age has anything to do with it as most nurses are baby boomers still. I do not have an answer unless you talk to someone in HR and ask what it is they are looking for in a candidate.

I'm 50 myself and I hope it's okay to ask since your question is about age, do you appear to be aging? I work with nurses in their 60's+ so 46 seems relatively young to me, especially if you appear in good health with comparable energy.

Some of our staff are in their 40's and work out/run and literally appear younger by their health and fitness than our younger staff, I don't think anyone would think their laugh lines would affect their ability to perform on the floor but it's pretty scary if they would.

That is an interesting question. I feel like I have aged some since menopause, a MVA last year, and a couple other issues. I often wonder if that plays a role in the jobs I don't get although the interviews seem to go well enough. Gets me a little down. I always do put on my best attitude for the interviews and show my spunk....but my age shows, of course.

Are you willing to work nights?

I'm still physically fit and high energy but if my job weren't in such high demand I guarantee I'd get passed over for the younger gals. All cries of ageism aside it is probably something we would benefit from accepting as part of the aging process and life experience. I wish it wasn't this way but then again I also wish I could still wear tiny tank tops and look cute but sadly that ain't happening either.

I think it happens on both ends of the spectrum for the really young looking nurses as well as the older looking ones. Personally if I were hiring, credentials were comparable and both people were pleasant I would probably hire a 30 something over a 50 something and I am a 50 something.

I see 30 yr old and I think maternity/kids. I see 50 (if they look up to the job) and think kids out of the house with more energy for work.

That may be entirely off base but that's how it worked for me personally.

I'm still physically fit and high energy but if my job weren't in such high demand I guarantee I'd get passed over for the younger gals. All cries of ageism aside it is probably something we would benefit from accepting as part of the aging process and life experience. I wish it wasn't this way but then again I also wish I could still wear tiny tank tops and look cute but sadly that ain't happening either.

I think it happens on both ends of the spectrum for the really young looking nurses as well as the older looking ones. Personally if I were hiring, credentials were comparable and both people were pleasant I would probably hire a 30 something over a 50 something and I am a 50 something.

Can't disagree with you, except I would hire a nurse who seemed very well seasoned over the extra young one every time, if I were doing the interviewing. Most of us have also been patients, and, as a patient...I want a good nurse, no matter what her age...unless she can't see well enough or something like that.