Where are the middle age nurses working?

[RedRobin8]

Hi all, I have been a second career nurse going on five years now. Love the field, have been in two different hospitals with a great resume full of well-rounded experience and references. My concern is more social than professional. Where are all the nurses around my age? (40's). I am guessing some move up into management, but I am still working on my BSN. I'm ready to settle into something long term, and would like to work where there is some social connections among staff. It's an odd feeling to discover that among so many 20 something's I could be socially irrelevant, since I am not currently dating via social media, drinking, planning a wedding or having babies. I'm viewed like the mom on the unit, but that makes for mostly one-sided conversations. It's an unfamiliar feeling to feel lonely in a crowd. ( I'm not a hermit, mind you, I am very active socially outside of work.). I'd love your suggestions.

[Fiona59]

I'm mid 50s and still work acute care. Granted there are fewer of us on the heavy medical floors, but I see our age group in maternity, dialysis, opthamology, and day surgery wards.

Nurses in my health authority can retire when they have 35 years of service and their age totalling 85, and they are out the door like a shot. I came to nursing in my mid40s and my pension won't be great but I honestly give myself less than another decade.

Nurses in our age group are often found in Public Health, Immunization, and bed management. Having said that, many of the nurses there are what we call "accommodations", that is, physically injured or unfit to floor nurse and the authority has an obligation to find them a job they can manage with restricted duties.

I just make sure I have interests outside of work. Go to the baby showers and retirements. I don't really go to work to make social connections.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I'm in an ICU, and most of us on my unit are in our 30s and 40s.

[JBudd, MSN]

I'm in the ER.

[LilRedRN1973]

I'm 41 and am working as a Correctional Nursing Supervisor. My plans are to eventually move up into the Director of Nursing position over the next few years. I worked in the ICU in the beginning of my career (2005) then dabbled in dialysis before ending up in psych for the past 5 years, all as staff nurse. Was given this opportunity to transfer within the state system to nursing supervisor and took it. I've been here since the end of July and plan on sticking around until I get my 20 years in for retirement. After 20 years, I can retire for 65% of my income, which will be just under $60,000. But since we hire from within and there are several DON positions that will be open as people are getting to retire over the next 5 years, my plan is to move up into one of the DON spots. It's a good job, I don't mind the atmosphere and the nursing can be challenging (in a good way!)

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I work at a freestanding acute rehabilitation hospital. Half of our floor nurses are in the 40+ age range. The vast majority of the nurses in middle and upper managerial positions (chief nursing officer, infection control nurse, nurse educators, etc) are 40+ years of age.

[annie.rn]

I'm with the O.P. At 45, I am the third or fourth oldest nurse on my unit. I was just asking the same question tonight of one of my co-workers. Where are all the nurses my age? I am working Med/Surg but I am really wanting to move on to something less strenuous and less stressful. It's funny, though...I don't think of myself as old at all but compared to all the early 20's nurses on our unit, I'm ancient. I'm old enough to be their mom. YIKES! When did that happen?!

[firstinfamily, RN]

I'm 57 and just returned to acute care on a tele/med unit. I really love sub acute nursing but most of those are now in LTC facilities. The facility I left in June eliminated unit manager positions and I did not want to stay in LTC. The return to acute care has been good for me, hopefully it will be good for the facility. I accepted a position for weekend option working 7p-7a. I have mostly worked nights in my nursing career but was on day hours for the last 7 years. My body clock is adjusting. I really wanted to go to a free standing out patient type service as these will most likely have the most growth in our current healthcare environment. However, that opportunity did not exist. I have always grown in acute care and there are opportunities here, just they take time. I will not be getting any pension from any healthcare organization, mostly 403-B and 401 plans. Pensions are becoming very rare to be offered by any company. I know I have the maturity and experience that is needed in the hospital environment but it is difficult to be fully satisfied when working with those who are 20-30 years younger than myself. I never saw myself as the older nurse and I do miss not having those older than I as mentors for myself. It is not satisfactory for me to listen to the younger ones complain about their work load, discuss their latest party or other social activities, I really do not have anything other than nursing in common with them. I usually do not make friends with co-workers and I am sure they think I am some stuffed shirt, boring person, but, frankly they are just too immature for me to really get involved with. I still have our adult children living with us, so my family is my focus. No grandchildren yet. It is kind of a lonely path, but it is the one I walk. I try to not comment on the attitude of the younger nurses, it is hard to hold my tongue, but they have to learn on their own. I am always glad to teach or mentor if they want. I find most of them are overly confident and truly that scares me a little. If they try to intimidate me, I set them straight. I do not have to prove anything to them, only to myself. It is not impossible to be the older more mature nurse, just a little lonely and we need to find a mentor for ourselves. There are older nurses who are managers that I can communicate with and express my concerns, I have tried middle management twice and have been disappointed both times. This time I am planning on staying a staff nurse and try to pursue something close to patient education----not nursing education, patient education. That is my goal, for now!!

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Just because you are a older does not mean you can't be friends with 20somethings. I am in my mid 20s and I have a good friend who is approaching 50. I am friendly with some 40somethings at work (half who are in semi supervisory roles or no longer bedside).

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I work for a dialysis company, I travel round my state auditing, educating/inservicing for my company. I travel thousands of miles per month, no two days are alike-I love my job

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

38 here, working inpatient adult Oncology.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I am 50 years old and never married. I work inpatient oncology, that was until recently, mixed critical and acute care unit in an fast paced teaching hospital. And most of my colleagues are in their 20s to early 30s.

While there are differences, I have learned things from them and they have learned from me. I attend "mockingjay" with them and they listen to classic rock with me.

Most recently, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My colleagues and I work in an oncology unit that specializes in a type of cancer that has a 25-30% 5 yr survival rate. And I am probably the only person that many of them have known to get cancer. When I had surgery, and was discharged the next day, I had a coworker "nursing" me at home for at least 3 days postop, and people signing up for driving me to appts, and being "on call" if I had issues.

A lot depends on the culture of your unit. On mine, we all work together, though years may separate our ages.