[NRSKarenRN]

Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and settle in front of the roaring fire...er computer screen. Share your stories, concerns and triumphs over starting nursing program, dealing with homework, balancing study +children + spouse, stingle parenthood + work + school, carying for parents + school, math anxiety,.....study tips and tricks, squeezing in ME time....

We learn more from OOOOOOOOOOOOPS moments than sucess somtimes.

Have fun too.

[robynv]

I am 35. Whew! I said it.

I have an active duty USAF husband, 3 kids 10, 12, 14. All are ages where they are... well hormonal the 12 year old is my daughter and you know the age... drama queen. My oldest will go to high school next year.

I am one of the oldest in my classes. I am just taking pre reqs now, but still to be in class with 18 year olds... man do I feel old. They are thinking about the party next weekend and boyfriends and I'm thinking how am I going to get this reading done with the TV always on and running kids to scouts, gymnastics...etc. How am I going to get this homework done with dishes to do, landry.. bathrooms ( my house is so messy right now)
My husband would help if he were here, but he is away right now.
Sorry, just frustrating when I think of all I need to do and feel like I could use some more hours in the day!!

[adamsmom]

I can beat that age I am a 43yr old senior RN student. I decided to become a RN at the age of 40!
It has been a very hard long adventure. I had never stepped foot on a college campus before and now after 3 years there is a light at the end of the loooooong tunnel.
I am also a CNA on the weekends and have 2 kids 7&12. I am currently having interviews but as a backup I do have a job at the LTC facility I work at now.
It has been a long hard interesting 3 years and I just hope I can make this last semester and PASS the NCLEX the first time.

[WVlpn2b]

I'm 43 and will be 44 1/2 when I'm finished with my LPN program. I'm hoping to transition to RN after I've worked a year or so... so I'll be 47, at the very least, when I finish that.

I have two children, 15 and 12, who are becoming more self-sufficient but they still keep my pretty busy. My DH does what he can to help but travels a great deal for his job. So I find that I am basically exhausted and lots of things have had to fall by the wayside for awhile. It will eventually be over! And meanwhile, I'm having a great time. And it does help that I am not the oldest in most of my classes, not by a longshot.

[Leigh40]

Hi everyone, I am 40 and and in my first month of LVN school. I left a long career of retail and decided nursing was what I really wanted to do . I have no medical background other than family in nursing. My boys are (just turned) 7 and 5. I am really starting to get the mommy guilt (I really create it myself) but so far A&P is sucking most of the life out of me.My husband is a great support but he is older than me and the boys are sometimes overwhelming to old men. ha ha I am not the oldest in my class but everyone my age has kids that are older. Thanks for having this...

[CT Pixie]

Hi there
I am currently 38 (turn 39 in April...ugghh). I am married to a wonderful man, we have two daughters ages 15 and 5. I work full time from home on the PC for the company I work for and I attend school full time.

At first trying to balance everything was very stressful! But now that I am 4 months from graduating, I have found my nitch. I know what subjects i need to study more for, I know how much time this and that takes etc.

I can honestly say, although much less ME time, my work life, home life and personal life haven;t really suffered that much since I started school.

Karen, that suggestion about a 35+ student forum is a great idea..just my

[JBRN2B]

I am 40 and in my second quarter of nursing school. I won't graduate until 2009 and by then I will be 42. Today at clinicals I realized how old I am when everyone introduced themselves like this "Hi I am so and so and I just graduated high school and am now working towards my degree in nursing." My turn came and I said "Hi, my name is Jean and I recently retired from a bank after 21 years so that I could follow my dream."

I am juggling a very active teenage son, and last quarter my mom fell and broke her ankle in 3 places and so she has been living with me for about a month and a half. Luckily I have a wonderful supportive husband and we have been tag team parenting. Of course just last week my son did come and tell us that he had "forgotten" a major book report and did not turn it in. Arrghhh!! I have a theory midterm I should be studying for and last week I had a pharmacology midterm and so my best friend is caffeine.

I just have to keep telling myself that I can do this.

[Bertolozzi]

Am an older student in my first year of nursing school. I have lots of company. I would say one-third of our class is over 35. Many parents working on second careers. We have a great group and very diverse. It makes for a vibrant learning environment.

I have three kids--4, 9 & 13. The 13 year has LD's/ADD and a seizure disorder. The middle girl has moderate dyslexia. All three go to different schools and just commuting them to and fro takes up about 2 hours of my day. Homework help takes up a good hour if there are no glitches. There is always a tutor, OT, scout activity after school that takes more of my time. Meal planning is a never ending cycle--kids all need lunches and all three have different nutrition needs based on medications/allergies, etc. DH works a grueling schedule to make up for my loss of income. We won't even discuss laundry. Went to target and stocked up on socks and underwear for everyone just to get through mid terms. My husband is an environmentalist, but we eat off of paper plates a lot more than I want to admit. So far, it's been doable, but grindingly hard and as much as I love nursing school I wish I could just take a break....I just wish it wasn't so intense/full time.

In the last five years, I've helped my parents pass away before their time. My mom was my child care provider, and I was forced to leave a job I loved. But now am looking ahead to a new career. It sucks that we have nobody to lean on, DH parents are OLD. It is impossible to find a babysitter, and wouldn't have the money to pay them what they deserve. Miss having a moment with my hub; kids and going to school full time can be hard on a marriage.

The pre-reqs were hard too as I was going thru breast cancer and feeling pressure to maintain A's in order to get into a nursing school in the Bay Area. Also was in litigation against my local school district on behalf of my eldest. But, it was nice that I didn't have to be a full-time student. Plus, the schedule for pre-req classes was more doable for the family. Nursing school schedules, especially when you add in odd clinical hours, can be very, very hard to wrap around family life.

Nursing school has given me something positive to focus on while going thru a lot of hardship. I like that I am taking much of what I've learned in grief and hardship over the last five years and putting it into something good. But I hate that I am making my family suffer because I am pursuing my dream. My children are not very self sufficient, it is harder for them than most. They need more scaffolding, and I resent this....and sometimes I let it show.

Now that I'm actually in nursing school, I've allowed some of my grades to slip into B's--it's near impossible for me to make A's in all my classes given everything on my plate. Oddly enough, I feel I am a better student overall as I no longer read for potential test questions but more for my natural curiosity.

I do have to bite my lip when I hear some of the younger students complain about how hard nursing school is for them to manage....but I remember feeling the same way when I was working on my first degree and working full time. It's hard for everyone.

I am always willing to lend a hand volunteering, but hate when the leaders of various organizations at my kids schools, scouts, church, even nursing school, try to do a hard sell on how I should be giving more of my time (!). Seriously, my time is so limited that personal hygiene is at risk!

[suburbanmom69]

I am 38 and biting my tongue every day the mail comes. I am waiting to hear if I will be accepted into an RN program that begins March 31st. I have two children, ages 13.5 and 5.5. As far as being older goes, I have a much better perspective on who I am and what I am able to do at this age. However, I do feel old sometimes. I volunteer in a local ER where all the techs are 22 - 24. They tell me their weekend stories of getting drunk, throwing up, etc. Sure don't miss those days. I had it all planned out to finish my ADN just before I turned 40. But, as usually happens, life got in the way. Oh well, at this point I just hope I get in. Wish me luck.

Babs

[c2010]

Almost 41, and in my 1st semester of ADN school. I'll graduate in Dec 2009, and will be almost 43. I'm not the oldest in my class- though I am one of THE oldest. And the really funny thing is- most of the people in my class have kids, and they range in age from toddlers and babies to 22 year olds.

My kids are 14 and 11. And they do keep me busy. Oldest plays violin and has a lesson and a community orchestra she plays in. Youngest takes dance. She wants to play soccer again, but I said no. It was bad enough in Sept when she played and we were juggling her schedule and the oldest's schedule. I don't even want to think how it would be with all I do at school.

At least they're coming of the age where they're somewhat self-sufficiant. They've already had a day off when I haven't. And the really neat thing was, I left a list of stuff for them to accomplish, and they did every single thing on the list!

It's been a change for the family. They've been used to me doing everything. I asked (well, after throwing a fit b/c nobody would listen to me) for my husband to take over the laundry. Does he do it differently than I do- yes. When the kids fold stuff, is it often rolled in a ball? yes. But- having that chore off of MY shoulders has helped. I need to delegate some more stuff as well, and I'm learning that if it isn't perfect- it's ok. What matters more is that the family understands that mom just can't do everything around the house anymore- because
I have something that I have worked very hard for, and at this point I want to finish and get a JOB.

I do worry about parents and age. I have a W on my transcript from 3 years ago. I had to drop out of my 1st attempt of A&P because my dad had cancer and died a month into the semester . My inlaws are in their 70's, and so is my mom. I don't think anything's going to happen to them- but you never know. I have to admit- the teachers at this school are really nice. They told us that most people that have problems, do so b/c the student has a "life event". But if you talk to your instructors early, they can usually work something out- which may mean being bumped back into the next cohort and taking time off.

And the volunteering thing- I hear you loud and clear! Youngest dd's school wants volunteers. I can't go on the BIG field trip this year b/c it's on a clinical day. Church needs volunteers too. My husband took over dd's 5th grade Sunday school class. And I have to teach it on the weekends that he has drill. And then- I volunteered at Awanas, because there were NO Sparks leaders at the beginning of the year. That I don't mind too much, there's very little planning involved. But beyond that- I'm not doing anything else. And I'm not feeling guilty. And if people get mad- oh well.