[Nurse Julie]

Todd,
My husband has a bachelors in Political Science. After running cable systems in major markets for decades, he was "merged out" when the company merging brought in its own management team. He was 45 at the time. He tried for 5 years to find a job as a middle aged, over qualified male in this country. I tried to encourage him to go into health care. There is as high a demand for respiratory therapists, x ray techs and nurses. He is a bit squemish and decided not to. He finally began substitute teaching at the local high school for something to do and found he LOVED it, surprising to both him and I. He is now in school to get his masters in education and then his teaching degree. I think for people in your/his situation, the only answer is to return to school for a second career, late in life. With your masters in business, once you get a degree in health care, climbing the management ropes will happen for you swiftly. I am a clinical director, RN, over several units and do not have the education you do! Best of luck!

Julie

[Nurse Julie]

Todd,
I just saw this link on the next posting I read and thought it might be helpful to you. It is from Market Watch and discusses with helpful data exactly what you are struggling with.
http://aolpf5.marketwatch.com/news/a...6siteid%3Daolp

Julie

[fabrick]

go for it, I am 44 this month, female...
I was a chef by trade but have done many things along the way, as most young adults I wanted to do nursing and somehow went a different road, now started my nurses training and I am loving it..
its never to late and you never stop learning, what do you have to lose? probably nothing...
my wage dropped even though only while I am training but the satisfaction I am getting far outweighs it and I am actually getting less stressed, hard to believe but ...jump in and give it ago..
good luck
fab

[Nurse Julie]

And another thing............with your background in info systems, most hospitals would LOVE your background. Healthcare is in the middle of transitioning to electronic records. They NEED nurses with IS backgrounds!
You are in GREAT shape!

Julie

[DonKeno]

OK folks -- I finally have the nerve to go public.I am a 59 yr old MALE -- will be sixty (YES 60!) in Feb and have just been admitted to the Nursing program in a Chicago univ. Like a LOT of others, I too am an IS/IT career changer. I do however feel Nursing "is" and "will be" the best choice I could have made. I will be 61 when I START my RN profession! If I can do it -- anybody can!! I have unlimited respect and gratitude for the "selection committe" at this University- they too a chance and selected me -- at least I have NOT experienced any age discrimination in the Nursing process. I was ALSO selected into a local community college Nursing program (no age problem there either) - but decided to go the BSN route. I will NOT let this Univ down!With a BS in computer science and with that degree and $1.00 I can buy a Wall Street Journal and read about even MORE "IT/IS" outsourcing and job downsizing and layoffs...!.I have experienced "tremendeous" age discrimination in the "IT" profession. I have not worked in the "IT" profession since 2001. Even though I loved"IT" , At this point in time, I do NOT miss it a bit!!!I have spent the last three years taking all the basic science courses required for a BSN. I only wish I had done this ten years ago. At my age I actually have a NEW energy in taking these classes. Everything seems to MORE "meaningful" to me no than when I was 25. I think life experience is a real "plus" for us "old students"!I have always been the "oldest" student in EVERY class I have taken in the last two years, but have NOT had ANY nasty looks or negative experiences. It took me about a year to get used to being the "old guy", but now I am relishing in being the Old (hopefully wise and adaptable) Nurse!.So -- to those "late students", especially "Men" -- GO FOR IT. I think this profession will be good to us and will be good for the profession!Also, thanks to my amazing and patient wife of 27 years who is behind me and supporting us financially.Good luck everybody!Don

[FroggysMom]

Originally Posted by DonKeno

OK folks -- I finally have the nerve to go public.I am a 59 yr old MALE -- will be sixty (YES 60!) in Feb and have just been admitted to the Nursing program in a Chicago univ. Like a LOT of others, I too am an IS/IT career changer. I do however feel Nursing "is" and "will be" the best choice I could have made. I will be 61 when I START my RN profession! If I can do it -- anybody can!! I have unlimited respect and gratitude for the "selection committe" at this University- they too a chance and selected me -- at least I have NOT experienced any age discrimination in the Nursing process. I was ALSO selected into a local community college Nursing program (no age problem there either) - but decided to go the BSN route. I will NOT let this Univ down!With a BS in computer science and with that degree and $1.00 I can buy a Wall Street Journal and read about even MORE "IT/IS" outsourcing and job downsizing and layoffs...!.I have experienced "tremendeous" age discrimination in the "IT" profession. I have not worked in the "IT" profession since 2001. Even though I loved"IT" , At this point in time, I do NOT miss it a bit!!!I have spent the last three years taking all the basic science courses required for a BSN. I only wish I had done this ten years ago. At my age I actually have a NEW energy in taking these classes. Everything seems to MORE "meaningful" to me no than when I was 25. I think life experience is a real "plus" for us "old students"!I have always been the "oldest" student in EVERY class I have taken in the last two years, but have NOT had ANY nasty looks or negative experiences. It took me about a year to get used to being the "old guy", but now I am relishing in being the Old (hopefully wise and adaptable) Nurse!.So -- to those "late students", especially "Men" -- GO FOR IT. I think this profession will be good to us and will be good for the profession!Also, thanks to my amazing and patient wife of 27 years who is behind me and supporting us financially.Good luck everybody!Don

Egads, I thought I was the only one out here! I'm 59 and starting a BSN program. Good luck to you!

[marylyric]

Originally Posted by Carolyn44057

I graduated with ADN in 1998 at age 53. I am surprised that no one has posted that it was a mistake. I was working in a hospital as a medical records coder, 8am-4:30pm 5 days a week, no weekends, holidays off, 4 weeks vacation and earning $2 an hour less than a starting RN. I went to school on a full ride with hospital tuition reimbursement. Nursing school was gruelling and I didn't have a life for 2 1/2 years. I did well though, graduating 2nd in the class, magna cum laude. I have a multihandicapped son who was 28 at the time and had just moved into his own home with two other handicapped clients. We had some free time for the first time since he was born. Now I was going to take a nursing job, working night shift, holidays and weekends, working my butt off for a couple bucks more? I don't think so. I kept my coding job & turned down the nursing career.

As luck would have it (or bad luck), my son had surgery and developed respiratory complications and came home with a new tracheostomy, feeding tube and a seizure disorder in addition to the profound MR/CP & Type I Diabetes that he already had. He requires 24 hr. nursing in addition to the aides he already had caring for him through his I/O waiver. Since I had kept my nursing license, I am able to do some of that nursing care by working through a home health agency and also get paid for doing it. I also manage 4 independent LPN's who care for him. Do I regret getting my degree? Not at all. Do I wish I had gotten the few years of hospital nursing experience? Yes, I do. But I believe that God led me to nursing so that I would be able to quit working and be available to care for my son.

Make sure you know that you want to really make the sacrifices that nursing requires. Had it not been for my son needing nursing care, I don't believe I would be doing any nursing. Even though I went to school to fulfill a lifelong dream, it turned out not to be the dream that I thought it was. Because I didn't do the expected transition of going in to hospital nursing, I still feel I never fulfilled the dream, but I just couldn't do it. Having said all that, I am happy and enjoying my life right now. My son is doing very well and I am glad that I can help him in every way that he needs.

Thats wonderful, that you could work agency and care for your son;but not all nurses go into the hospital setting. A lot of nurses do not go into the hospital enviroment after school. If you wanted to do nursing, you could try private or public school nursing, Home healthcare ( some agencies will train you). There are plenty of other nursing areas.

[garfield2005]

No one is ever too old for education or any career. I have three degrees, BS in Zoology, I'm an MD but also an RN at the same time. All the possibilities are in you hands, make the most of every opportunity; the opportunity to learn , to put into use what you have learned, love whatever profession you're into & use these to serve others.

[Dublin37]

Hey Todd, I think i started taking the science preps about 5 years ago. I enjoyed being back in school. I am 43, will be 44 in January and i will be starting nurs'g school in Jan. or Aug. 06. I have a BA in Sociology and a secondary teaching credential for social studies. After teaching a few years i knew i didn't want to continue in that field. I figure if i love it (nursing) i will stick to it, if not i will try something else, i love to try new stuff. One of the attractions of nursing for me is that there are so many different types of nursing. I tend to want change often. After nursing school, i'd like to learn how to fly! Good luck!
Heather

[VickyRN]

All of these wonderful posts bring the following quotations to mind:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. --Goethe

Such to me is the new image of aging: growth in self
and service for all mankind. --Ethel Percy Audrus