RN 60's

[squirt70]

Hi ,
I am an old RN who has hit the wall before my retirement. I feel after giving may all to my profession for many years. including a stint in the burn canter at Seattle for 16 years that.

I have been chewed up a spit out.
After the economic meltdown I came out of retirement. I have arthritis in my hands very bad from years of nursing..
I accepted a position in St Joes, Peace health in Whatcom county and was excited to be starting in a new career and a great town .

However the reaaity of the situation was anything but.. I was in the cafateria and a nurse approached me and saw my new badge. She then warned dme to "look out" as I was on the MCU floor. need less to say this sent up red flags bigtime.. I am sure we have all been there..
Then I was talking to another RN who stated out president was an Arab , a potential terrorist infiltrate.. While I welcome the idea that people have different ideas on the world and do not feel that it is necessary or even desirable to all have the same view, This comment was inappropriate in the work place and very racist.

I hade been out ot the work force for three years but have a lot of knowledge to bring to the table.. Imagine my surprise when my preceptors, with the exception of one, was rough on me and not helpful at all.

Then after two weeks, I was dropped like a hot potato stating I was not a good fit.. The manager never even spoke to me did not know me. just dropped me. How can you know what someone will be like after two weeks, even if they are terrible. people have their own learning curve.. Am I wrong in saying that management needs to have some responsibility in providing a new nurse with the tool she or he needs?

So I say to you. saty away frmm MCU at Peace Health in Bellingham.. They are a rough crowd..
The old saying that nurses eat their young, however I am not young and this was my last chance to mke a of of it..
So now I am left with out my profession and have no money and no way of making any money after 40+ years of nursing.
I welcome all who feel thay have been spit out by their profession..
Squirt70

[squirt70]

is anybody out there?

[pyxis]

I find this apalling, a poor choice of words, but all I could think of at the moment. I have also been a nurse since 1983. I never tried to pursue management, but that was my choice.

I find that after all the time you gave to others is now shunned by a flock of geese that do not even know you. I wonder sometimes, if it is not what you know but who you know. It was unfortunate that you could not spend your retirement when you wanted, but to be treated in such an unjust fashion.

I am sure you will find a more deserving facility that will find you an asset to their staff. Good Luck

Pyxis

[lindabuzzetti]

Maybe it is just as well that you found out what type of people you were dealing with early on rather than later. As the saying goes, when God closes one door he often leaves a window open. Perhaps there is another area where you can use your expertise: home health, school nursing, employee health, a doctor's office. Don't give up.

[copperrose]

Try another hospital. I once worked in a hospital where everyhift fought with every other shift, young vs. old, BSN vs. Hospital School etc. It's a good bet that the other hospitals in the area know that the hospital has problems and have had nurses from the hospital come to them. After I worked in the fighting hospital I quit and went to another hospital. Imagine my surprise when I told day shift about a request from a pt and they FOLLOWED THOUGH on it. When evening shift actually told me what pain med combo worked for a particular pt. and the head nurse was actually interested in me! IMO the attitude of the nurses starts from the top and trickles down. Good management doesn't allow bad behavoir and people (and management) with bad behavoir tend to stick around each other, tolerate bad behavoir, and feed off of each other.

I'll tell you what I tell other nurses. Walk through a hospital and see how the nurses look at change of shift. What do the units look like and smell like? How many call lights are on and how many machine beepers are buzzing? How do the nurses look? What does their body language say? Is there a nursing school around where you live? Talk to the professors at the school about the hospitals. They won't say anything bad but what they don't say will be telling. If a certain hospital gets a glowing review and things look "good", that's where you might interview.. You've been a nurse a long time and can pick up on the "vibe" of a unit.

I once walked on an Oncology unit of a local hospital just in time to hear a nurse yell down the hall about how it wasn't time for a man's pain meds and he" should know better" I'll never set foot on that unit as a pt. or a visitor again, thats for sure. I tried to find the head nurse to report the yeller but I couldn't. I talked to the chaplain (who was a friend) about it but he didn't know who the nurse was.

[PWhite]

Bring your knowledge and experience to the Home Health field.
Per Diem at first then choose your agency.
Yes, there will be a documentation learning curve, but you have been through that before.
I am in my 45th year of Nursing....I know what-of I speak!

[monchien]

You seem like a nice lady who did not deserved this deal. Other places or hospital would appreciate your experience. Don't give up, you will find something. I have a rough time also. Specially in ICU where some nurses think they are on top of everything. They put down new old that are trying to do their best. They don't want to give chances to other. They put down to feel higher. I am also near my 60, not easy to deal with some of them. They have power towards the administration. I hard : She is nice: Well, what do you do with nice said the nurse wanting to kik me out.

[nursecat]

Hello.May I add some perspective to your "loss",dear "Squirt70". I used to live in B-ham,Wa and could not even get an interview at that hospital(HA) Do not feel so bad. You pretty much have to be born there to fit in. We eventually moved to Renton,east of Seattle. Lots of choices. It really IS the location(lol) You might try Option Care,home health. Or,the skilled nursing facilities,because their level of care is pretty interesting and the kind of nursing we were used to , back in the day. Even rehab facilities are good. Good luck. We are still really needed,but YOU need to find the right fit,too. Did you take a refresher course? If you have been out over 2 years, you need that. OK. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Carol/Nursecat

[oncrn17]

Don't give up because of one bad experience. Nursing is NOT over! There is something else out there that is the right fit for you.

[deern]

[Home Health is a great area for older RNs. I urge caution however in regard to choosing the agency. Per Diem is a good place to begin as it gives you the control in regard to the number and type of cases you accept. Many times agencies recruit using what I call a "fish net" method, they advertise openings and lure nurses in but have no cases available. The other negative is the area the agencies cover which may require you log hundreds of miles a week to see patients. I have also discovered some very seedy agencies that do not adhere to medicare regulations which can put a nurse at risk legally.. One recent experience with such an agency had me shaking my head in disbelief that such an agency recieved CHAPS accredidation. Look up the Oasis C and read all you can on the CMS sites about completing these required assessments in home care and the conditions of participation (COPS) of medicare. Home Health is a rewarding field but like all nursing fields has its negatives. We as nurses have to advocate for ourselves. We are an integral part of the health care system and as such deserve to have afforded to us a level of respect. Physicians age but are not forced out of practice unless they are unable to cognitively perform their functions. We older nurses should not allow any facility or individuals strip us of our integrity or our profession.

[24hr-medical]

Hello everyone! Anyone of you interested on a travel or per diem job in California? We have a lot of needs in Home Health too. Our company is hiring nurses with at least one year experience in a hospital setting. The more experiences in the field, the better. If you’re not from California but you have a CA RN license or willing to travel in CA, please email me at medical.staffer@yahoo.com to discuss more information. Thank you.