Too Old For Med/Surg?

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Here is my concern. I will be 55, almost 56 when I finish school next year and am ready to hit the trenches. One of my professors thinks I'm too old for med/surg or bedside nursing; she thinks it will be too difficult and is encouraging me to consider other areas. I have this thing about having to do med/surg to be "legitimized" as an RN and learn as much as I can. My first career was in social work, I'm not interested in psych anymore. Have been a massage therapist for the past 15 years and still love that work and will keep practicing part time. I am currently interested in cardiac stuff, more specifically womens' heart health.

I am trying to obtain an internship this summer to gain experience. Any other baby boomer new nurses out there with feedback would be appreciated. I'm also a bit concerned about hiring difficulties due to "ageism". (Spelling?)

Thanks for any feedback given.:bugeyes:

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Hi Trinh: NO YOU ARE NOT TOO OLD! I was 55 when I graduated from nursing school and started in Med/Surg at a local hospital. My manager was more than happy to hire me because of my age, experience, organizational skills and common sense. Do not listen to your instructor.

I enjoy Med/Surg because of the variety of patients I come in to contact with each shift; every day I learn something new. I also train new (younger) nurses and aides, plus I'm charge nurse twice a week. I'm not really interested in charge because I'd much rather be on the floor with patients.

To be successful in Med/Surg you need good organizational skills and a good preceptor. From one boomer to another I say - GO FOR IT!

Bet of luck to you. Nancy :nurse:

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, Cath Lab.

You are definately not too old!! I was in a non-tradidtional nursing program, and graduated with a few people that were 50+ they are all on med/surg floors and loving it!! Go where you want to go!! Good Luck!!

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I Love this site!!

Here is my concern. I will be 55, almost 56 when I finish school next year and am ready to hit the trenches. One of my professors thinks I'm too old for med/surg or bedside nursing; she thinks it will be too difficult and is encouraging me to consider other areas. I have this thing about having to do med/surg to be "legitimized" as an RN and learn as much as I can. My first career was in social work, I'm not interested in psych anymore. Have been a massage therapist for the past 15 years and still love that work and will keep practicing part time. I am currently interested in cardiac stuff, more specifically womens' heart health.

I am trying to obtain an internship this summer to gain experience. Any other baby boomer new nurses out there with feedback would be appreciated. I'm also a bit concerned about hiring difficulties due to "ageism". (Spelling?)

Thanks for any feedback given.:bugeyes:

I wonder exactly what kind of positions your professor thinks you'd be qualified for, WITHOUT bedside nursing experience? She might as well be telling you to take that pretty new license (when you get it!) and file it somewhere you won't ever be needing it.

There's lots of different directions to take in nursing, she's right, but it's not reasonable to assume you can go to many of them without a clue as to how to be a working nurse.

That said, I don't see why you CAN'T be a bedside nurse at your age: certainly, those in my unit who have been nurses for 20+ years, and are that age, will not tell you they are incapable of working the floor. If they are talking of leaving, it's not because they are physically incapable of it, they just are tired of doing it after so long.

Bedside nursing is not easy work. It IS physically demanding, it is body-tiring. But I'm taking a bet that you KNEW that when you started in clinicals, right? What do YOU think? Are you able to keep up with your classmates, and the floor nurses? Or are you having health problems that keep you from doing the job as they are? If you're reasonably healthy and reasonably fit, what's the problem? If you're NOT, well, that's another story.

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Specializes in LTC, Nursing Management, WCC.

Just buy lots of Advil and you will be fine. :D I can't believe how much I ache at the end of the day and I am 32. But you are not too old. I had several ladies in my class in their 60's graduate with their BSN.

If it is what you want to do...then go for it!! I am surprised that your instructor thinks you are too old for bedside nursing. I had worked with a nurse who was... I think 70 and she ran circles around everyone.

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Specializes in ER.

I am 54 and work in a very busy 50+ bed ER trauma center. Yes, I go home tired, but so do the 30 year olds. You may need to learn to work smarter and save steps a little more than if you were a 20 yr old new grad, but don't let anyone tell you you are too old! I once triaged an 84 year old school nurse who had come in for something minor and had the grand opportunity to chat with her about nursing over the years. She was facinating, and still worked full time. God Bless her!

Tell your professor to go take a hike!

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Specializes in Acute care, Community Med, SANE, ASC.

Agree--tell your professor to take a hike. I'm sure massage therapy is physically demanding so I suspect you will not have a problem with bedside nursing--anymore than any of us do. I was 37 when I graduated and worked a surgical floor for the first year. One of my classmates was 61 when he graduated and he worked open-heart stepdown. Do what you want--you'll be fine.

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THis is such a tired old subject to me. Am I too old to go to nursing school am I too old to get my BSN I am an LPN am I too old to get my RN,

In your situation you are listening to the opinion of another person. One person, an acadamian who I am willing to bet (most likely) is younger than you, so of course you are too old. IF on the rare chance she is older than you she likely feels that way about herself. In either case their opinions are just that and not about you.

Remember the nurse who is telling you this is not working med surg she/he is a instructor. Huge difference. There are a few a very few who maintain a bedside job while they are instructing but these are not the average instructor.

Regardless of what this instructor thinks she observes in you she is making a judgement that the reason for it is age. That is (there is not nice way to put this and be as honest) stupid.

I was 50 when I go my RN. If you are too old for med surg consider this. I am 57 right now I work a very busy med surg floor. I love what I do.

I have not ever seen hospitals fail to hire based on age along. Now if you were a nurse who has been practicing for 30 + years (which would put you in our age bracket) and consequently are at the high end of the payscale then yes I have seen employers avoid hiring and try to get nurses to leave that are in this catagory. (because they cost too much)

You are coming in as a new grad with equal footing with a 20 yr old. Actually not equal because you have an advantage of life experience to draw on that the 20 yr old does not.

I work with nurses in their 70 in med surg. No kidding. You know better than anyone else what you can handle.

ALL new nurses are slow. From my casual observation the ones who take the longest to adjust to pace is actually the very young ones. They have a really hard time trying to learn time management. I work with a new grad who is 50. I keep forgetting she is new (not because of her age but)because she thinks and act with the judgement and actions of an experienced nurse.

I notice we older gals tend to take better care of ourselves and pace ourselves accordingly because our bodies are talking to us. When you are 20 or 30 your body does not complain and so you push on. We all did that. I believe that is in part some of the reason I now have some of the problems I do today.

It is impossible to teach a young nurse the importance of taking breaks. She thinks she has too much to do to take a break and she doesn't understand that after a break you come back stronger than ever and can accomplish the tasks at hand better for having rested.

She will hear these words and even give them nodding agreement but does not believe them for one second or doesn't feel it applies to her.

YOU are not too old for med surg. If you are ever in an area of nursing where you find it too drainning on you consider 1st cutting hours, 2nd moving to a less draining area or just to a different facility (same area)

You will do fine in what ever area you choose.

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Nursing can be stressful - make sure you look out for yourself and take care of yourself esp in that first year! I know some OR nurses who are in their 70's and once I was in a room with an OR (retired) nurse and the surgeon came in to see her family member and he started begging her to come back to work ...no kidding, he was serious....

I was amazed....Age is relative....some people are old in their 20's/30's!

GOOD LUCK...You can do it `:twocents::yelclap:

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i am trying to obtain an internship this summer to gain experience. any other baby boomer new nurses out there with feedback would be appreciated. i'm also a bit concerned about hiring difficulties due to "ageism". (spelling?)

thanks for any feedback given.:bugeyes:

ageism in nursing exists, but i doubt you're going to encounter it; especially as a new grad. ageism affects those nurses in our age group who are at the top of our payscale not, as you will be, at the bottom.

welcome to nursing and good luck in your nursing career!

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I work with RN's who are in their 60's and believe me they work as hard if not harder than nurses 30 years younger than themselves. I know one RN who who is 62 and works 5 long days a week, I think that would kill me LOL.

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