How does your hospital treat older nurses?

[MaryCatherine]

I've been asked to brainstorm for ideas that our hospital could impliment that would help older nurses keep working. And I haven't a clue where to start. I've never worked in a hospital that treated them any differently, but seeing my age increase along with my back pain, I'd like to do some informal research.

 

For instance, we have a particular RN on my unit, Marsha, who is 58 - though her body is much older. She LOVES bedside nursing. She's been a nurse since she was probably 2 and is the smartest person I know. Our floor NEEDS her, as do many others. But she struggles with 12 hour shifts, obviously. She has more illnesses that cause call ins. She has changed her schedule to part-time (2 12hr shifts per week) in order to keep her benefits - which DOUBLE in cost due to her now part-time status. She doesn't want a desk job. She completely loves bedside nursing. At our hospital, we probably have a thousand other Marshas.

 

Does your hospital treat older nurses any differently to try to retain them? Or do we just need to plan for retirement at 55, even though the govt says that we can work full-time until we're 67. I personally cannot put into words how I feel imagining my current job at age 67.

 

Thanks for any feedback!!

 

Anne

Edited August 31, 2009 by MaryCatherine

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm not a nurse and I don't play one on tv. However, I'd like to say that an older nurse (she was probably around 70, I'd guess) was the only one who could get a blood gas out of my 3 year old son the first time he was hospitalized. This was after the pediatrician tried and failed 3 times as did the head nurse in the pediatric ward. I think their experience counts for a lot.

[Desert Rat]

I'm not a nurse either but my mom is. She left hospital work because she couldn't stand 12 hour shifts and her back started hurting her. She transitioned to home health care and is now a nurse case manager for a health care company. She would have loved to stay in hospital but those shifts killed her!

My recommendation would be to allow flex hours. Maybe 4- 6 hour shifts instead of 2- 12 hours. Also, if there is a way to avoid lifting, that would be useful too.

[Maria from IN]

What about splitting up the shifts? If I were her age, I'd probably want to work 5 6-hour shifts instead of 3 12's. Of course, it kinda ruins your whole day, but it would be easier on the body. Perhaps there are other part-timers who could take up the other six hours just to complete the shift.

 

She could also be valuable as a "trainer" of sorts. Every unit seems to have its own rhythm and its own hierarchy. I'm sure no two hospitals are the same. Taking on interns and newbies and showing them the ropes could be a way to pass on that knowledge...

 

Just rambling...:001_smile:

[kpupg]

I don't have an answer, but boy, I cannot imagine doing 12-hour shifts on my feet like that. That is simply inhumane for anyone of any age. I wonder how many wonderful nurses are shoved out of that line of work for that reason.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dh (an RN) says to use them as med nurse (they pass out the medications), in teaching positions, anything that uses their brains more than their brawn.

[TCoppock]

We don't treat our older nurses any differently than we do all the others. That said, our hospital does offer PRN positions where nurses, of any age, can work as little as 2-12 hour shifts. I'm not so sure it would be fair to base a job on age alone. There are many older nurses that I work with that have had less education and hospital experience than younger ones that went straight into nursing following high school. I have no issues with allowing shorter shifts, but they need to be offered to everyone no just a select few. I see this could lead to a slippery slope. I find it more cruel to give the new nurse the difficult patients than the experienced nurse. Do you have nursing assistants that help with the turning and equipment to lift patients?

[Lawana]

I am not a nurse, either, but my mother, an RN, left her hospital due to extreme scheduling issues. As others have stated, my mother could not physically tolerate 12 hour shifts. She left her hospital after she had to cover a 4 hour gap left when her 8 hour shift supposedly ended but no one had been scheduled to cover the 4 hour period until another 12 hour shift started. She reached her breaking point on the second consecutive day that happened. A 60something body just doesn't handle the same things that a 20something, 30 something, or even 40something can.

She, also, had great bedside manner, helping many new mothers learn to breastfeed, when other nurses had given up. But those days of nursing are over. The caring aspects of nursing no longer count. How many meds can you give, how many charts can you log, how many patients can you discharge on time- those seem to be the new criteria for your value as a nurse.

Lawana