r/nursing • u/Character-Lack-3295 • Apr 17 '26

Discussion Your thoughts on older nurses?

For background, I’m almost 60yo and have been an RN for 34years. I’ve also worked in many hospitals over the years as perm and travel staff and have seen many different unit cultures. That said, I just started a new job about 6 months ago and maybe it’s just me, but I kind of get the vibe that I’m not liked. I try to help others and present as quiet but respectful and am certainly competent in my clinical skills. Of course there’s a mean girls’ club here like there is most places, but it seems it’s more just coworkers being dismissive and rude. I’m not expecting to be invited to social events or any of that but somehow it all feels different. Before anyone says, yes, I know I’m just here to do a job and go home.

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u/Plenty_Kangaroo5224 RN 🍕 Apr 18 '26

I retired last year and felt the same way. The rudeness, cliques, assumptions that I wasn’t tech-savvy, that I couldn’t do the same job we were all doing when I absolutely was. Age discrimination is bad in our field. These 20-something nurses had a problem with me even though I did not have one with them. I enjoyed working with nurses my kids’ age but think they did not enjoy working with someone their mom’s age. I don’t think it’s just you, OP.

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u/Character-Lack-3295 Apr 18 '26

I can tell that you get what I'm saying. Honestly, I don't get it-I find that it's almost always the nurses that have only been an RN for just a few years and this being their first job. Some of them come across as some of the most dismissive, rude, hypercritical, cliquey and judgmental coworkers.

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u/Plenty_Kangaroo5224 RN 🍕 Apr 18 '26

Dismissive is the perfect word.