Creating A Welcoming Workplace For The Older Nurse

As the general population continues to age and grow, the nursing workforce is aging alongside. Approximately half of the current nursing workforce is apart of the baby boomer generation (Mion). RNs are eligible to retire at age 55, which will affect the majority of “baby boomer” nurses between 2005 and 2010 (Mion). According to the Nursing Management Aging Workforce Survey in 2006, “55% of surveyed nurses reported their intention to retire between 2011 and 2020” (Nursing Shortage). The demand for skilled nurses is growing at an exponential rate. According to information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the supply of nurses has been

The Impact of the Aging Population on the Health Workforce in the United States: Summary of Key Findings. (2006, March). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from

Registered nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system, and make up the largest number of healthcare professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015) “The employment rate for registered nurses is expected to grow by 16% between 2014 and 2024”. This is more than double the average rate of growth for a profession. The rapid growth rate can be attributed in part to better management of chronic diseases and the baby boomer generation. The growth in the nursing profession is paramount, however the demographics of the nursing population does not mirror the demographics of the population served.

This approach did not address the serious issue of the knowledge and skill base of older nurses, Hospitals and health care organizations quickly concluded that while it is essential to recruit new people into nursing, it is as crucial to retain older, more experienced nurses in the workforce.. The endeavor of this proposal is to explore ways to facilitate nurses in dealing with demands while passing on the benefit of their expertise to younger colleagues. A detailed account has been provided of the most important factors and outlined strategies or measures that could be engaged to keep both beginner and expert nurses from leaving the hospital setting. Findings from the research proposal can assist healthcare administrators in drawing and retaining nurses in hospital settings. Retaining the highest quality and adequate quantity of nurses is the assurance of a successful organization (Runy, 2006).

In searching for resources for this assignment, most of the articles written have at least one thing in common. The baby boomers are getting older, as a result, they will represent 20% of the total population from now until 2030. The number of persons who are 65 years and older is 12% of the population, the life expectancy of 77.9 years has caused this increase. The older people over age 85 is at about 40%, and the number of centenarians is on the rise (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Longer life expectancies will intensify the demand for competent geriatric nursing care to reduce the years in which function and health are impaired. It is exciting to see that quality geriatric nursing education

The aging workforce has contributed to the nursing shortage. In the U.S the current average age of (RNs) is 45 years and almost a majority (40%) of RNs in the U.S are 50 years and older (American Nurses Association, 2011). Between 2001 and 2008, more than a majority (80%) of the

Nursing is constantly evolving and adapting to the current population, and with the elderly population increasing exponentially, nurses are inevitably affected by these changes. The baby boomers are getting older, changing healthcare as they go. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those who are ages 65 and older are expected to increase 17% by 2020. By the recent demographics shift, nursing practice is affected as there becomes a greater need for nurses to be able to guide those who suffer with multiple chronic conditions, specialize in geriatrics, and also care for the mental health of the elderly.

The national nursing shortage is an ever-growing concern, and it is essential for healthcare organizations to confront the looming issue. Possible solutions to the nursing shortage include retaining older nurses who are looking to retire, increasing the amount of students graduating from nursing schools, and drawing nurses back to the bedside who have left the nursing workforce (Hatcher, 2006). Leaders must assess the nursing turnover in their organization, and they must strategize on ways to retain those nurses. Organizations must implement techniques to retain older nurses to help combat the national nursing shortage and prevent a national healthcare disaster (Keller & Burns, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to identify the demographic breakdown of an organization, explain how the organization’s environment is conducive and non-conducive for older workers, and describe tactics to retain older workers.

The Generation X group is the nurses that I am identified with as I was born in 1968. When I began I would say there were more Baby Boomers in the Emergency room; now generation Xers appear to be the majority. Individuals within Generation X are independent, confident, creative and comfortable with change and new technology. Within nursing, GenXers value the work-life balance and seek acknowledgment for their talents and expertise (Leiter & Laschinger, 2010). Generation Xers, however, have no problem declining the extra work hours. In general, they believe that if management focused on meeting the needs of staff members, they would be more concerned about adequate staffing and find a resolution instead of depending on staff staying late and working more (Sudheimer, E., 2009). As a leader my expectations are high, I want to envision everyone working to the top of their license, I have minimal tolerance for anything other than your best work. Boomers want to be appreciated and strive to get the job completed but are having a harder time keeping up with the technology and the ever-increasing demands. For Boomers the patients are the focus and take excellent care of not only the patient but the family as well. Boomers may require a bit more patience; I envision them staying later to finish documentation and requiring a bit more hand holding with any change that

As members of the baby boom generation get older and reach retirement age, they present an increasing challenge and opportunity for health care, particularly nursing. The growth in the number of elderly patients from the boomer generation coupled with a loss of boomer-age providers will pressure an already-stressed health care system (Hospitals and Health Networks, 2014). Nursing must take on the responsibility of not only meeting this burden, but improving life for the older American. There are several different ways in which this can be done.

Buerhaus, Auerbach, and Staiger (2009), estimate the nursing shortage to grow to 260,000 by 2025. They pinpoint the rapidly aging workforce as a principle contributor to the projected shortage. A deficiency of this extent would be twice as large as any nursing shortage experienced in this nation since the 1960s. Further complicating the problem is the fact that a substantial portion of the nursing workforce is approaching retirement age. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2013) predict that within the next 10 to 15 years, more than one million registered nurses over the age of 50 will reach retirement.

I understand that your perception was that older nurses left the organization rather than adapt to the changes occurring and use of the computer. While this is a very real concern, we must be cautious to not apply this stereotype to all older healthcare workers.

By 2010, unless many more young people become nurses, about 40 percent of the nursing work force will be over age 50, according to the General Accounting Office (“Nursing Workforce”, 2001).

The growing number of the elderly patient has a direct impact on nursing practice. The issue of” baby boomers” having an increased life expectancy may have jobs security for the nurses in future as evidenced by multiple improvements in cardiac surgery in older population. The aging of the baby boomers is expected to produce a plethora of new nursing jobs, which could lead to higher wages, greater job security, and greater variety in types of work (Page, 2015).

Aging! We all do it every day, but have you ever thought how it is going to affect the rest of your life or more importantly your career? Aging isn’t something that we get to choose if we participate in, however working is, and aging may affect that choice. Right now, I want you to think about the age of sixty-five. What words pop into your head when you think of someone sixty-five? I’d imagine some of the words you thought of were retired, old, fragile, slow, as well as many others. Those words right there all help to explain the many concerns that one’s employer may have when hiring someone that is of the older population. When we think of the older population in the work force we don’t necessarily think of positive things, instead we think of things. When we think of this population in the workforce we generally think of lower production rates and higher costs. These can create issues among the older population, as employers must consider all the possibilities when hiring someone. We know that more people in the older population are continuing to try to continue their careers, but why? How hard is it for them to continue? What changes have made it easier? How are the younger and middle aged populations perceiving them in the work place? This are only some of the many question surrounding the increase of aged workers.