Can I become a Nurse at 40?

[amoy36]

I am currently a Certified Medical Assistant and a Certified Nurses Assistant. I do PRN work as a CNA for an agency. I enjoy working with people. It would be great to become a Registered Nurse but I now wonder if it is to late. I just turned 40 years old.

I recently received my certification in medical assisting. The job market seems saturated and no one will give you a chance if you don't have over a year experience. It is a little frustrating.

I would love to do more to help people.

My circumstances are a little challenging because I am a single mother of 3. My youngest is 2 and she is my little "Downs" baby. I am waiting for her to enter the school system in order to possibly start my dream.

Am I too old?

[Back2SchoolRN]

It could really help to connect with someone who is already an RN and who you give you that extra "oomph" of determination when your confidence or energy wobble, as they do for nearly every nursing student several times! Talk to an RN school advisor about your passion. (Not an "enrollment advisor" for an online school; they are largely salespeople. Talk to an RN in management or an RN teacher, if you can, or a practicing, experienced RN.)

Here are some tips that helped me; not sure if they're right for you: If you can, space the science and clinical courses so that you don't have a bunch all at once. See if you can be allowed to take a few courses before formal admission (if you can afford it) to get a feel for the workload before you decide how many you can manage at one time with home responsibilities. Find a study-buddy and get a firm routine in place, because family needs and practical details interfere a lot more otherwise!

I have a PC at home, of course, but found it was much easier to go to the public library if I really needed to focus for hours at a stretch. So, if you have a choice of PCs, portable and not shared is better! If not school or library, then a designated space and time to study where no one must disturb you when the door is closed for anything less than an emergency.

Here's what I wish someone had told me, but no one did: Whatever you do, know it's a different world than other "Arts and Sciences" degrees, with a culture all its own, which it is not always 100% friendly toward older students. (The majority are, and the good ones can really inspire...but when they're insecure, some can make you miserable, especially in a smaller school or department where you see them again and again, and they make decisions about your future. To avoid those, blend in and avoid standing out in any way. Don't complain or contradict, even when you're sure they're wrong, and it has nothing to do with nursing. Make sure you are properly humble, and never "too familiar" with instructors, where it is natural to feel sympathetic due to similarities in age and life concerns outside of school. Some are a bit threatened by this; they feel disrespected, and will then take too much notice of you. Also don't take over nurturing or guiding the younger students with life coping skills, if some have a rough day or experience and tear up. That might seem as though you are assuming a (competing) mentor role. A discreet pat on the back or sympathetic listening in the student lounge are safer and just as helpful. Never mention your age, life experience, or home responsibilities, for the same reasons, but also because there are some who will take it upon themselves to be sure you never get any "special slack". That can mean getting less leeway than the other students when there is a decision to be made that is a judgement call, and the outcome affects your grade or evaluation.

If you keep those tips in mind, you will avoid being bruised by any brushes with the occasional nut-job instructor you'd find anywhere, but who has more power in nursing. Come to think of it, those are good tips for dealing with senior--in age or authority--nurses on your first "new grad" nursing job or 2 as well.)

If you have an MA, you can do it. Forty is young! Many mid-life nurses are pursuing doctoral degrees for the first time, and those classes are pretty demanding.

[Back2SchoolRN]

helpiscoming, I'm making a late switch, too, and I have realized one major "plus" of starting late: At a time in our lives when many who once dreamed of being nurses, too, are just bored to death, looking forward to retirement and burnt out or coasting, you will be full of new ideas and plans and excitement. You'll be fueled by passion for what you do, at the same time as you are bringing a ton of life experience to helping others and to learning on the job. People in mid-life are driven to "make a real difference", and so those other aspects in combination make for a very good chance that you will change nursing and healthcare for the better. Maybe you will lead a march on Washington, or help a developing-nation village start a nursing school or hospital!

Research shows that new experiences slow down our experience of time, so that making big changes can keep each year from seeming shorter than the last. (And they are, otherwise, aren't they? Psychologists suggest driving a different route to work, and breaking up routines, and note as an example that a vacation to an exotic place seems in memory to have been much longer than a week or two, for this reason.) That benefit alone is reason enough to take on a new challenge in mid or later life!