A Case Report: Is Retirement Really the End of a Nursing Career? One Nurse’s Experience

Retirement can bring about new and unexpected experiences for anyone; however, for a nurse who has been at the forefront of healthcare (in various roles for about 45-years.), this may be a difficult transition. One question that may come to mind is “when should a nurse consider retirement?” I asked myself that same question for several years. Tabloski1 identified “approx. million nurses will retire or contemplate retirement in the next 5 to 10-years”. Deshaies lists the average retirement age for nurses as 62, with almost half of those surveyed being over age 50, planning retirement within the next 15-years. Some possible reasons nurses may continue working, in one form or another after retirement, may be to keep current on health care advances, fulfilling a calling or may be due to financial concerns.