The juxtaposition of ageing and nursing: the challenges and enablers of continuing to work in the latter stages of a nursing career

Aims. To identify why some nurses cope well with continuing to work as they age and others struggle. Background. There is a need to understand better the challenges older nurses face and how they manage them. Design. Secondary analysis of existing data. Methods. Data collected in two separate studies were analysed. The first study (2012) was an online, anonymous survey that collected free text (qualitative) and categorical data (n = 3273, 57.6% response rate). The second (2014) was an explorative, descriptive study that collected data through focus groups and interviews (n = 46). Qualitative data from both studies were analysed using David Thomas' (2006) general inductive approach. Research Ethics Committee approval was gained for the 2012 and 2014 studies. Results. Data were categorised in two themes: the challenges of ageing and nursing; and factors that enable nurses to continue to practice. Physical challenges, fatigue, guilt, ageism and demands to complete continuing education were considered challenges. Maintaining personal fitness, self care, flexible working and a strong belief in their ability to contribute to the profession were present in older nurses who continued to practice. Conclusion. While older nurses face growing physical and cognitive challenges as they age, they demonstrate strong resilience in the face of these challenges. It is recommended nurses seek support from their workplaces early to address challenges. Organisations must address ageism in the workplace and provide practical interventions such as supporting changes to work hours, shifting nurses to less physical roles and providing career planning to support resilience in older workers.