Who wants to hire a graduate nurse at 55?

[RNat55]

I am in my final semester for my BSN. I qualified as an RN in September 2019 and I have been job searching. Due to my recent job interview experiences, I am beginning to wonder if I can secure a graduate nurse position at the age of 55.

My very last interview with an HCA hospital took about two months and included over 140 character assessment questions, on-demand video interviews, face to face interviews with the nurse manager, then the nursing director and finally, the management. I got a phone offer from the recruiter who stated she would email the formal offer. Three days after, she called and informed me they made a mistake as they thought they had more openings. I should feel free to reapply or apply for a different position and could contact her for help. I was shocked and dumbfounded!

I keep feeling my age is the issue. Please, does anyone have any suggestions as to where I could consider applying for a graduate nurse position at this age? My ultimate aim is to become a nurse educator. For now, I have an interest in also becoming a nurse writer.

Thank you for your assistance.

[Guest957596]

On 1/16/2020 at 11:33 PM, adventure_rn said:

I vaguely recall that Nurse Beth has written posts about the challenge of age discrimination and how to combat it in your application process. You might find some valuable info if you use the search function to search for age discrimination.

Why jump to the conclusion of age discrimination and offer advice on how to combat it when there's no proof offered?

[Guest957596]

On 1/17/2020 at 8:21 PM, MyAimIsTrue said:

Unfortunately I think your age is working against you, as mine is working against me (a few years younger than you, but also a new grad). I'm in super-competitive No Cal and was shocked that some of my classmates were getting hired when I wasn't (average students, average personalities). I have had 6 interviews and luckily for me, 2 offers. But neither of the offers is from the prestigious residency programs that interviewed me, but rather from hospitals that struggle to hire enough RNs. So anyway...here we are. I try to look as young as possible but there's no hiding that I am 40+. Age discrimination is real in nursing. But when I started nursing school the two women who inspired me were new grads at ages 48 and 54 who got hired and loved their jobs (one in a hospital, one in ambulatory). So it can be done. Most of my older classmates had to leave the immediate area and are working in rural hospitals. So maybe you could look into that...

Good luck!

Where's your proof of age discrimination?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

52 minutes ago, tacticool said:

Why jump to the conclusion of age discrimination and offer advice on how to combat it when there's no proof offered?

Because it's a well-documented, well-researched phenomenon in nursing (especially in older new grad nurses), so if the OP is struggling to get a job as an older new grad nurse, age discrimination could likely be at play.

And, even if it isn't, the suggestions that Nurse Beth makes will be helpful, regardless...

[RNat55, ADN, RN]

On 1/18/2020 at 5:17 PM, ashagreyjoy said:

Corrections is always hiring. I've learned sooooo much. Some point I will try to return to acute care (my year in med surg tele is solid gold useful) but one can make an excellent career in Corrections. I would not want to work solo in home health as a new grad.

Most home healths appear to want experience and yes, I don't want to work solo as a new grad either. I have not tried corrections though.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

4 minutes ago, RNat55 said:

Most home healths appear to want experience and yes, I don't want to work solo as a new grad either. I have not tried corrections though.

Or incenter (clinic) dialysis. It can help build strong assessment skills

[RNat55, ADN, RN]

1 minute ago, Hoosier_RN said:

Or incenter (clinic) dialysis. It can help build strong assessment skills

Do they employ new grads? And offer training?

[juviasama]

32 minutes ago, RNat55 said:

Do they employ new grads? And offer training?

Yes.. The large dialysis centers offer an extensive training. They hire new grad too, but the working hours can be brutal.. It could be up to 16 hours in a day.. But my sister in law loves it because she doesn't work on weekends and she prefers working for a very long hours in one day rather than do 5 x 8 hours.

As for me, I'm a school nurse.. I like it better than hospitals because I don't need to lift heavy patients.. I had a pretty severe backache when I worked bedside and my co-workers also complained the same issue.

[RNat55, ADN, RN]

47 minutes ago, juviasama said:

Yes.. The large dialysis centers offer an extensive training. They hire new grad too, but the working hours can be brutal.. It could be up to 16 hours in a day.. But my sister in law loves it because she doesn't work on weekends and she prefers working for a very long hours in one day rather than do 5 x 8 hours.

As for me, I'm a school nurse.. I like it better than hospitals because I don't need to lift heavy patients.. I had a pretty severe backache when I worked bedside and my co-workers also complained the same issue.

Thanks. I have not seen any openings for school nurses yet. I am applying now for a position at a dialysis clinic and indeed the hours are brutal.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

There are many areas of nursing that may appreciate you, you just may have to look off the beaten path. I would encourage you to think about where your passion lies. What type of environment do you want to work in? What type of people do you enjoy working with? Are there areas of nursing that are of special interest to you?

Best of luck to you!

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

I would say it might be best to look outside of the area you are living in to see if there are other opportunities out of state or out of area. While I do realize you may already be a homeowner or enjoy where you live right now, perhaps leaving for a year or so to another state might be doable in order to get some experience under your belt. Once you have experience, you can try to apply back where you live and see how it goes.

Just an idea

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

19 hours ago, tacticool said:

Why jump to the conclusion of age discrimination and offer advice on how to combat it when there's no proof offered?

It seems you're concerned about people generalizing about the age issue, but aren't you generalizing from your experience of being hired as a 58 year old? Unless you have a larger sample group, your job doesn't in and of itself doesn't provide strong evidence against the existence of age discrimination...

[AutumnLeaves, MSN, RN, NP]

You might also consider the VA. It takes a long time to get a job but they do hire mature nurses.