Benefits Of Aging Nursing
The Aging Workforce Much like the United States, nurses in Canada are getting older. In 2011, the average age of a Registered Nurse (RN) was 45 and those over 60 made up 11.9% of the nursing workforce (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2012). There are as many benefits to being an older nurse as there are challenges, thus nurse managers must have strategies in place to meet the unique needs of this population. The purpose of this paper is to provide a breakdown of the demographics of a local healthcare institution and to describe the benefits and challenges older nurses face in healthcare today. Finally, strategies to engage and retain older nurses will be outlined.
Demographic Breakdown Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre employs …show more content…
As the patient population ages and patients are coming into hospital with higher levels of acuity, aging nurses are experiencing heavier workload demands then ever before and thus have a higher risk of injury and poor overall health. When combined with the bodies’ own natural aging process, an older nurses’ health is at greater risk as they continue to work into their later years (Collins-McNeil, Shape, & Benbow, 2012). In recognizing this challenge, Sunnybrook participates in the Late Career Nurse Initiative (LCNI) program sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). This LCNI is designed to allow nurses 55 and older to spend a portion of their work time doing less physically demanding roles (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2010) and thus Sunnybrook nurses have been involved in quality improvement projects, workflow analysis and documentation audits, just to name a few. This initiative combines utilizing the expertise of older nurses and at the same time, addresses the physical demands nursing has on the health of older …show more content…
While the LCNI program mentioned earlier gives nurses time away from the physical challenges of nursing, its goal is to also give older nurses a chance at professional development. At Sunnybrook, these nurses have been involved in initiatives that have improved patient care and changed organizational practices and they return to their regular duties refreshed and engaged knowing their contributions mattered and are
Demographic Breakdown Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre employs …show more content…
As the patient population ages and patients are coming into hospital with higher levels of acuity, aging nurses are experiencing heavier workload demands then ever before and thus have a higher risk of injury and poor overall health. When combined with the bodies’ own natural aging process, an older nurses’ health is at greater risk as they continue to work into their later years (Collins-McNeil, Shape, & Benbow, 2012). In recognizing this challenge, Sunnybrook participates in the Late Career Nurse Initiative (LCNI) program sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). This LCNI is designed to allow nurses 55 and older to spend a portion of their work time doing less physically demanding roles (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2010) and thus Sunnybrook nurses have been involved in quality improvement projects, workflow analysis and documentation audits, just to name a few. This initiative combines utilizing the expertise of older nurses and at the same time, addresses the physical demands nursing has on the health of older …show more content…
While the LCNI program mentioned earlier gives nurses time away from the physical challenges of nursing, its goal is to also give older nurses a chance at professional development. At Sunnybrook, these nurses have been involved in initiatives that have improved patient care and changed organizational practices and they return to their regular duties refreshed and engaged knowing their contributions mattered and are