They should be force to retire

[apnurserock]

I have worked with a few old school nurses who weren't their anymore and they were making BIG nursing mistakes, but they still have the licenses. Now as hard as it to get one do you feel that they should be forced into retirement and stripped of their licenses?

[Myruby, MSN, NP]

Hi there, I don't think that either of us can generalize our personal experiences to everyone.  I do enjoy my work and hope that you found that retirement was the right decision for you. The world is a big place and that is why this forum is great, neither of us has to agree with the other at all :)

 

[No Stars In My Eyes]

I am PROUD of being a "crusty old bat" and don't use it as a derogatory term. It means (as well as my name on this forum: No Stars In My Eyes) I have been through a LOT, for a lot of years, and survived. I've never been mean to Newbies, either; I don't recall anyone being that way to me when I was new to the field.  I've had much to thank other COB's for through the years, all the things I've been taught and learned from them. Everyone has to start somewhere, and anyone who has 'hung in there' gets to retire sooner or later, in one way or another, if they are lucky.

(Thanks to all you who understood my post.)

[catdevil27]

You and me both! I remember when a surgeon who I worked with quite a bit told me while rounding with him,, that he was always happy to see one of "the old warhorses" was assigned to his patient. It was a compliment.  I wasn't offended.

[Gratefulbutnotstupid, ASN, LPN, RN]

I have seen nurses of all ages make mistakes.  If they are egregious, they will get reported.  If they don’t get reported and another nurse knows about their mistakes, then they are also part of the problem.

elkpark also made an excellent comment about younger nurses criticizing older nurses.  I worked for many years under the “cluster system”.  I had 14 patients between me and a LPN. There was one LPN that used to work around others like they were standing still 20 years ago.  20 years later she was still a good nurse, she took just a bit longer to get her work done.  I would hear the other nurses putting her down.  I always chose her to work with me.  Funny how the other groups were always asking us for help.  Faster isn’t necessarily better.   Remember we are all going to get old.  I never forgot that valuable lesson.

 If a nurse doesn’t seem to be able to keep up anymore, then give him/her the respect to talk to them about retirement before they make a mistake.  I’ve had to do it and when done with respect, it usually is appreciated.

[Demo, BSN]

All hail the robot butt wiper overlords

[Cathy B.]

Considering that the person who wrote this post doesn’t even know how to write grammatically, I would take everything they say with a grain of salt! That said, I will say that in my 37 year career I have seen both young and old nurses who were dangerous! I had many wonderful teachers who gave great advice! Never do anything in a hurry just because someone is pushing you is one that comes to mind! Also, if you’re unsure about anything, check with another more experienced nurse before following orders that are confusing! 
     I am retired 9 months now and work one day/week giving infusions in a doctors office. If it becomes too much for me I will quit. I am spending most of my days watching/hanging out with my sweet grandchildren! Covid broke me and I knew I would never return to hospital nursing ever again. I keep up to date with things in my field of nursing through news and nursing publications. I wish only good things for my former colleagues! 

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

On 7/31/2014 at 11:39 AM, Ruas61 said:

How can someone make a mistake if they are not there anymore? Are the teleporting?

Premature mistake problem?