The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International,
presents Why Retire? Career Strategies for Third-Age Nurses

Indianapolis – The Honor Society of Nursing proudly presents its latest book, Why Retire? Career Strategies for Third-Age Nurses, a guide to assisting nurses transition from one stage of their career to the next, especially as they age.  Today, making a decision to stay in nursing, leave the field, or transition to another type of nursing is more important than ever, With a nursing shortage projected to reach as high as half a million by 2025, helping veteran nurses navigate their “third age” careers is a vital component in quality patient care.

Why Retire?, authored by Dr. Fay L. Bower and Dr. William A. Sadler, is a valuable resource for nurses and hospital administrators alike. The book highlights the value that experienced nurses bring to the profession while offering older nurses practical advice for continuing their careers into the third age, something many of them wish to do – under the right circumstances.

“Recent surveys of senior nurses have found many of them are interested in postponing and/or redefining retirement if they can practice nursing in ways more compatible to their interests and needs, both personal and economic,” Bower and Sadler say in the book’s introduction. “Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many nurses do not know what they want to do next, what skills they have that could contribute to their ‘next’ career and how they can learn about both.”

Why Retire? provides practical advice for nurses and administrators to help older nurses manage their careers from middle age to retirement. Covering topics such as how to retain senior nurses, ways to fulfill an older nurse’s special needs and even how to begin a job search in the Third Age, Why Retire? serves three important purposes: the book gives nurses younger than 50 a chance to incorporate the principles into their career plans; nurses already in the Third Age can obtain strategies and information for making the most of the latter part of their careers; and health care leaders and executives can use Why Retire? as a toolbox for ensuring their organizations are prepared to support older nurses. Suggestions include moving senior nurses to less physically demanding positions to reduce injuries and bodily stress, maximizing their experience by allowing them to mentor younger nurses on staff, creating innovative work schedules such as job sharing or “transition to retirement” hours and allowing Third Age nurses to work in float positions in order to maintain their interest and to fulfill the hospital’s staffing needs.

Whether a younger nurse is looking for long-term career planning advice, an older nurse is needing guidance managing her Third Age nursing years or a hospital administrator is trying to find ways to attract and retain old, experienced nurses, Why Retire? is a can’t miss read.

Trade paperback, 7 3/8” x 9 1/8”
Approximately 224 pages
ISBN: 9781-930538-76-4
$24.95 retail price non-members; $22.45 active honor society members

About the Authors

Fay L. Bower, DNSc, FAAN has been in the nursing field for almost 60 years. Her career has been focused on educating nurses and nurse leaders since the mid 1960’s. She is currently Chair of the Department of Nursing at Holy Names University in Oakland, California. It was at Holy Names University that she led the Third Age Nurse initiatives and formed the Center for Third Age Nurses. Bower has also served as President of Clarkson College, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of San Francisco and Dean of the School of Nursing there and at San Jose State University. She has a BSN, a master’s and earned her doctorate at the University of California.

William A. Sadler, PhD received his doctorate from Harvard University and since then has been a professor, senior administrator, author, consultant, community leader, and noted speaker at local, national and international conferences. He is the author of six books; his The Third Age: Six Principles of Growth and Renewal after Forty led to the formation of the Center for Third Age Leadership. This same book, translated into several languages, was selected by the Korean Broadcast System for one of its 2006 Book of the Week programs. Currently, Dr. Sadler teaches MBA leadership courses at Holy Names University in Oakland, California. He has been a professor at Holy Names for 20 years. He is also the co-founder and director of research for the Center for Third Age Leadership.

For more information or to purchase the book, please go to http://www.nursingknowledge.org/.

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The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, the honor society has inducted more than 400,000 members in 86 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. The honor society's 469 chapters are located at 586 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales. More information about the honor society can be found online at www.nursingsociety.org.