To think I can't keep this up till 67?

[GodImTired]

I' work in acute paediatrics in the NHS. We work 13 1/2 hour shifts with usually only 3/4 of an hour for break. I have a step counter and average 13500 steps on every shift sometimes nearly 20000. It's a mentally demanding job we are constantly under staffed and we are increasingly seeing more and more exceedingly unwell children. Our doctors are also stretched to their full capacity. I and nearly all my colleagues go above and beyond what we're meant to do for both the children in our care and their parents we know this as we frequently receive verbal and written comment to this effect. But we also receive endless trivial complaints about the food, the view out the hospital window, and other which are demoralising.
At the end of many shifts I'm mentally as well as physically drained.
I'm 51 due to time out to bring up my children I haven't paid enough pension to retire early so will work till 67. I'm increasingly thinking that this won't be physically or mentally possible. Also the NHS is literally falling to pieces I started nursing over 30 years ago I cannot believe it's got this bad. But I love my job have tried less demanding areas and hate it.
I'm aware it's not just nurses who are struggling many others in other occupations particularly the public sector must feel the same. What are we all going to do? Many are my age are leaving in droves pension or no pension. Are the jobs we love and feel passionately about eventually just going to wear us down? What are we going to do? Or AIBU should I thank my lucky stars I have a job hopefully till 67 (that's what are management tell us).

I'm in a different line of work to you, but I plan to go part time when I get to around fifty. Obviously this is dependant on finances and a willing employer, but I have no intention of working full time for the next thirty years (I'm 39 btw).

lazy good for you, but unfortunately not everyone is so lucky. Like I've already said, I treat a lot of patients who are your age and younger and absolutely would not be capable of working. Yet the retirement age means they must unless they can afford not to - a luxury a lot of people don't have.

No-one is writing 60 year olds off, they're talking about how their jobs are already demanding and how they don't think they'll be able to meet that demand when older.

mummy - Most people in their 50's now did not go to University. Most people started working at 16 or sometimes 18. Only 6% of people went to University. Very different from now.

I am 51 and have already had work colleagues die in their 50s or get cancer or other serious illnesses. And some of these people look perfectly fit to strangers or acquaintances, although they are not.

hazel
I work in the public sector, and had time out to raise a family. I am now 64 with 20+ years service under my belt but my pension should I retire at 65 will only be £6000 pa, together with my state pension it will all I will have to live on.
I live on less than that each year (circa 13K) part of which is an annuity paid into when I was working
Of course you can live on that if you have paid for your house (or are married and have two incomes coming in) and don't expect to go on cruises and run a new car
why are you all so negative - cut your coat according to your cloth
I do sympathise with those who do demanding physical jobs.

OP is not saying she can't live on it. Of course she will. But she can not afford to retire early.

My parents only have their state pension. You can live on that. But now I have to wait until 67 to get that.

It isn't such a bad income for someone with no mortgage. My income is only slightly more than that and I don't feel poor at all.

Lots of people will still be paying rent when they retire.

OP, I also work in healthcare but now work in medical research, very rewarding job, Mon-Fri 9-5 band 6..... Mentally demanding but no physical effort!! ....Could this be an option?
I'm 52 and also took 8 yrs out of work to look after 3 dcs who have now all finished school but still in education so I won't be retiring for a while yet.... My dh is self employed so will also be working for ages!
my mum was lucky to be a sahm and dad had a great work pension......I hope I'm still fit enough to enjoy my retirement when it eventually comes!

Yes cleaty it will affect people who aren't homeowners much worse-I can see that-also people without professional qualifications who can't easily find less physical jobs. MPs will just sit on their arses spouting-so they'll be okay.

Serious illness and death at this age is not as uncommon as the media would have us believe. We really don't all make it to our 70's and 80's perfectly fit and mobile

ha-ha, so the message is pretty much, don't sweat it too much about us all getting knackered and too old to work till retirement age, as you might get cancer/have a heart attack and die at 57 anyway

chin up! (its true though)

I left teaching and sod the pension. I felt I was doing an important job working in an inner-city high school with very disadvantaged kids, but it does wear you out, especially when the govt seems hell bent on telling you that you and your school are shit because kids who arrived in the country six months ago speaking no English didn't get 10 A* GCSEs. I'm sure OP feels the same about her job. I do an office job now and although I can certainly see myself being fit enough to carry on to 66, I certainly couldn't have hoped to still be doing my previous one even now.
Not that this job makes me feel as if I'm doing something important with my life, like.
My mother retired at 60 on a reduced pension (housewives could opt to pay a lower NI stamp then) and had ten good years before she died.

OP,have you asked for a pension forecast assuming you are paying into the nhs pension scheme? Many colleagues of mine did retire at 55 ( special classes for retirement age which you should fall into) and the returned to less demanding roles. So they had both pension and salary.

When I looked at the difference between retiring at 55 and 60 it didn't make sense to stay longer. I am the same age as you.

You don't mention your other commitments such as DC and mortgage but there must be a compromise somewhere. You are right, nobody understands how exhausting acute NHS work is and 67 is too old for most people to do it well.

Consider out patients, walk in centres, practice nursing, family planning and other similar roles. Creative thinking required but firstly get that pension forecast and work from there.

You need to reorganize your life, OP! You only live once. What can you change? What do you really need to live on? How about moving to a cheaper part of the country? Can you retrain or take on something extra in the short term, in the hope that you'll have more savings to live on later on?

There was another thread yesterday with someone moaning that she had to pay for her own glasses. At the end of the day, we're all responsible for our own financial planning. You can't rely on the government to bail you out. Make the best of what you have, live each day to the full and look for opportunities elsewhere. How about overseas? I'm not knocking what you do by any means, but the fact you're on here saying what you are is a clear indicator that for you, something needs to give. You can find a way and make it happen. Good luck.

LazySusanne - great post but you can't get through to the entitled brigade who bang on about how stressful and demanding their jobs are but - God forbid! - they should make other plans.

Another thought, OP - what about going on the bank? As long as it is for an NHS institution, you will still get NHS pension contributions and you'd have much more flexibility about when you work.

PS Ignore all the "you made your own bed" brigade. Most of them don't have a clue what your job involves. I have now worked in senior managerial positions both within the NHS and in non-healthcare organisations. Those jobs aren't easy at all - they are high pressure, long hours and involve difficult decisions. They are still a walk in the park compared to my clinical role. Most people can't even comprehend what it is like to work in an environment where children are critically ill and dying and to know that one small mistake in a calculation could kill.

Yeah these people who work 13 hour shifts in acute paediatrics. So entitled.

Daisy "God forbid! - they should make other plans."

erm, if everyone doing the OP's job made other plans, we would be screwed.

Note this line from the OP "Are the jobs we love and feel passionately about eventually just going to wear us down?"

I am really really glad that people like the OP exist - that she loves and feels passionately about her job. I do not give a shiny shite about mine. I am there for money and that's it. I might be able to retire earlier than OP sure - but who is of more value to society? Not me and my pointless paper pushing job, that's for sure.

You can't rely on the government to bail you out.

Where has this come from given no-one has said or expects the government to bail them out.

Its not only nursing. Many jobs are like this these days.

She's a nurse doing a job that she (presumably) enjoys. She's well remunerated and gets a lot of positive feedback. However, that doesn't mean that younger tax payers should fund a long retirement for her. She's only 51 and in a job with lots of options within the same organisation. No one's expecting her to be doing this particular job for the next 16 years (unless she wants to) so she needs to take some responsibility for herself and investigate those options.

Its not only nursing. Many jobs are like this these days.

No, they really aren't (I am not a nurse, btw). Give me another example of a non-HCP job that - at 67 - will require you to be doing hard physical graft - lifting patients, constantly on your feet - but also to do difficult calculations, dispensing drugs etc, which can kill someone if you get them wrong. Oh and deal with children dying and families in trauma.

NHS employment has many benefits - job security, good pension scheme, good sick leave etc and I agree that HCPs sometimes moan about their jobs without realising the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. But the OP's concern is specifically about her physical and mental fitness to do her job at 67. And that is a very fair point. I bet the posters on here who have given her a hard time would be the first to complain if their own DC had sub-standard care because a nurse was exhausted.

When has she asked for 'younger tax payers to fund a long retirement'

This is a woman who came and wanted to talk about her feelings and worries. She's been given feedback and options she can explore. None of which she has said she won't or can't do. I'd understand your posts daisy if the OP had argued against options, but she hasn't. You're creating a non-existent argument with phantom 'entitled people'.