I am a 48 yead old male and have had an interest in nursing for many years. Because of my work schedule, which is not in the health field, I have not taken any college courses in 10 years. :o
I need to complete two more classes (Anatomy & Physiology, which scares the bejesus out of me due to the high failure and dropout rate :eek:, and a compostion class) with a B grade to get accepted into the nursing program at a local university.
I'm wondering, at my age, if my goal of being a nurse might be just a pipe dream. Even if I complete & pass the two prerequisite courses, the wait list for nursing students at this school is currently over one year. Even if I start schooling now and everything goes well, I figure I'll be 53-54 years old by the time I graduate.
I've been doing volunteer work in a nursing unit at a local hospital for over a year and I think I would like to be a RN. I did very well in all of the Biology & Chemistry courses I took previously but, like I said, that was a long time agao. I wonder how desirable a 50+ year old green nursing student/grad would be accepted in the real world.
Just wondering how many of you started nursing "late" in life? And how many of you came from a line of work that was not health related?
Thanks in advance
If you are in good health I don't think you'll have a problem. Nursing can be a very physically demanding job, so keep that in mind.
OldSquidNewNurse wrote:If you are in good health I don't think you'll have a problem. Nursing can be a very physically demanding job, so keep that in mind.
I consider myself in good physical health. Mental health is another issue.:p
A lot of the physically demanding chores on the floor I volunteer in are usually done by at least 2 people (with NA's) if required. This isn't usually the case in most environments?
Hi, Wannabe, and welcome to the site.
Just to be curious, how old will you be in 6 years or so if you DON'T go for your RN? :D When I'd gone on through my LPN program, I had some more mature classmates, and they were great. I was also 'the oldest' in my LPN to RN classes. What a lark!.
Given you joked about your mental health...well, that is good. Keep a sense of humour. It helps. :p
Good luck; I know you can do it.
'Cat'
One of My classmates in LPN school was 63.
There's a man in our ER who finished school at 52 he's now 62 and it was a 3rd career
I went to nursing school with several people in their 50's and a grandmother in her 60's. And my brother left a real estate appraisal career to go into nursing in his 30's. I really think older students are more focused and actually want to learn. If it's what you want to do, then do it. :)
Now that you have AN answer. What the hay are you waiting for?:p
I say go for it =]. I really don't think age should be an issue. If it's something you want to do, and something that really interests you.. then go for it! I'm 18, a college freshman, and I just finished the first section of Anatomy and Physiology.. and yes it DOES kick your ass. But in the end it's awesome. I've realized I know ALL this information about the human body because of that class and I've actually learned to love the class. Don't give up your obvious dream just because you're almost 50. My philosophy on life is to love and to learn =].. no matter what age you are!
The nice thing about nursing today is that you don't have to stay in the hospital forever. I would strongly urge you to do at least two years on a med/surg floor, but then you can branch out into something else. After I got tired of fighting for holidays off, I went into Public Health, Practice Administration and now case management. I think you'll find that your years of "life experience" will give you an advantage over the youngsters in your program. And you're right, the heavy lifting should be a two-person job. If you want it, go for it. I am 60 and had no trouble finding a job when we recently moved after my husband retired.
RN Wannabe, please give us an update since you started this thread back in November.
IMHO, once you pass NCLEX and start working as an RN your patients will probably think you have been doing nursing for a long time.
Update.
Sorry for the very late response!
I have finished all of my prerequisites and have been accepted into nursing school at Oakland University. That's the good news.
Tha bad news is, I will have to wait until the fall of 2010 to start nursing school. :( That's how long the wait is at most nursing schools here in southeast Michigan. I'm guessing it's not much better in other parts of the country...
In the meantime, there are a few required classes I can take before I start nursing school. I will finish my microbiology class in about 3 weeks (can't wait for this class to be over).
Assuming I complete nursing school on schedule, I will be 54 years old when I earn my degree.
Thanks for all your replies and sorry for the delay.
I went back to school when my teenage daughter got to the age that she didn't want to be seen with me in public and I needed something to fill my time:) I was in my late 40's. I finished my BA in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (anthropology and sociology) at age 51. I worked fulltime as an ICU nurse and never felt tired. Actually it gave me the direction and intellectual stimulation I needed. I then went through about a third of my MA and decided it just wasn't what I wanted to do. I will admit it was something I loved and that made all the difference. I would not have been able to do it if I didn't like the material or the setting, which ultimately was part of my decision to leave graduate school. It stopped being fun. Sometimes I had to deal with the age discrimination issue with my fellow students, but that was more in graduate school and it was ideologically driven, at least in their imaginations anyway, not to mention that social sciences involves a lot of intense debate about ideological and theoretical issues. I say go for it!!!
There are many many nursing
students your age and older.
The main thing to consider is your overall health. How is your back, your knees, physical stamina? Do you have issues with chronic pain? Can you handle high stress?
Good luck to you!
lukemacwan wrote:There are many many nursing
students your age and older.
The main thing to consider is your overall health. How is your back, your knees, physical stamina? Do you have issues with chronic pain? Can you handle high stress?
I excercise 6 days a week and am in pretty good shape for my age. I have a history of minor back problems from my previous line of work, which involved some heavy lifting, but my workouts help keep this to a minimum.
School stresses me out occasionally but I'm sure I am no different from anyone else in that department...
"Sorry for the very late response!
I have finished all of my prerequisites and have been accepted into nursing school at Oakland University. That's the good news.
The bad news is, I will have to wait until the fall of 2010 to start nursing school. :("
----
Well, RN Wannabe, my first reaction to this GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS post is...consider it good news. Take advantage of the time to get really, really clear on what you want to do with your life. You sound very smart, physically fit and even mentally fit too! Good for you! The sky is the limit for you.
Clarity is always a good thing. If we're not clear about what we want, then that's what we'll get in life. You'd be surprised at how clear you can become with the use of a 79-cent notebook. The best thing that could happen for you over the next year and that your vision for the life that you want becomes crystal clear.
Getting clear relieves my stress and that's what I enjoy blogging about and teaching others about.
