A survey conducted by the Virginia Department of Health Professions reveled that about 30 percent of the state’s registered nurses ages 66 and 70 said they planned to work at least another five years and more than 40 percent of licensed practical nurses would stay in practice for another 10 years.
According to the article, more than financial security and economic needs, people accomplish more in later years as life expectancy increases. Though younger nurses may refer to them as “old school”, their years of experience in the profession gives them an edge over those who have just entered the field of nursing.
Why they want to stay
Though these nurses are old enough for Medicare, financial constraints keep them from retiring. Especially during this this time of economic recession, having an income would make them financially stable.
Another reason is that these nurses love what they do. Staying at home would probably make them bored and leave them with nothing exciting or fulfilling to do. If their health still permits them, they will keep doing what they love to do which is caring for people.
Benefits of their stay
Experienced nurses are indispensable commodities in our healthcare system. Their years of experience and expertise on their fields is difficult to replace and they could also help out in giving new new nurses tips on how to perform well in the workplace.
From the comments of readers on the original article, some patients prefer older nurses because of the quality of care that they provide. It may be because older nurses are in the job for the purpose of caring and seeing a patient get well or be comfortable because of the services they provide gives them gratification more than anything else.
Also, staffing issues have long been a problem in care facilities. Though there are plenty of nursing graduates, hospitals still prefer nurses with experience. The added workforce helps alleviate nurse staffing problems.
These nurses, though some may already be as old their geriatric patients, are priceless assets to our profession. New nurses who are updated on the latest trends may have fresh knowledge but older nurses have the wisdom that one can only get from years of nursing practice. Their dedication to their job and passion for care is something that we should all look up to.
Original article “Survey: Older Nurses Sticking Around”
