Am I Crazy? 38, never thought I'd considering nursing but now I am

[Elizabeth K.]

I am 38 and just now considering nursing as a second career after 18 years in the real estate industry. My grandmother was a nurse. All my life, I always said I would NEVER get into the medical field because I just did not think I could handle the emotional aspects of it. I don't like hospitals because I associate bad memories with them (other than giving birth to my daughter in a hospital). I always thought I'd be sad working with sick/dying patients everyday.

With the real estate industry in the toilet, I decided that it's time I start looking into another career. I mentioned to a nurse friend of mine that I'm looking into going back to school and starting over in a new career. I also mentioned the fact that I've always felt that I needed to be in a career where I could help people somehow. I just could never figure out in what capacity, but it's almost as if I felt that it was my purpose in life. My friend suggested nursing. I immediately gave her the spiel I have been giving everyone since high school : There's no way I could ever be a nurse because I'd be sad everyday. Nope -- not doing it !!!

She proceeded to tell me that you learn to deal with it in time. She went on to mention that there are so many opportunities in the nursing field including working for insurance companies, law firms or working in a lab, etc ... She said I didn't necessarily have to work in a hospital. She really piqued my interest and I actually found myself getting excited at the idea !!!

What interested me were : 1) can get just an AA 2) good pay 3) flexible hours 4) helping people 5) varied job opportunites 6) pretty good job security -- a LOT better than the real estate industry and 7) can pick up and move to another state and still find a job (not something I can do so easily in my current line of work). I'm particularly excited at the thought of maybe working as a L & D nurse or in the nursery or NICU. I realize that I would need further training for those specialties, but the thought of working in one of those units actually excites me.

But, if I do this, I want to be sure I'm doing it for the right reasons. I guess I question whether or not this is the right path for me to go down when -- as I mentioned -- I have ALWAYS refused to even entertain the idea of being a nurse.

As far as qualities that I think would help me in the job, I like jobs that keep me BUSY and are fast-paced. During stressful events, I am a very take-charge sort of person. But, for the most part, I am pretty mellow.

Did most of you know from an early age that you wanted to be a nurse?

How did you know it was the right job for you ?

How do you deal with the sad events you witness at work every day ?

Were any of you particularly paranoid about getting sick or maybe contracting a disease through work? I'm just one of those people who has always been so paranoid about that kind of stuff.

Are there a lot of older nurses that work the floor ? By the time I graduate, I will be in my early 40's. I'm worried about later, when I am in my 50's. I worry that I may not be able to physically handle the job.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks in advance!

[ejcl68]

I just turned 41 and will finish all my nursing pre-reqs for an accelerated nursing program in the fall. I was laid off in December of 2008 and this was an excellent opportunity to pursue my dream. If you are unsure, volunteer in a hospital and see if you like the environment. If you want it badly enough and you enjoy taking care of people, you will be fine. You're never too old and if you keep yourself in good health, you can work well into your 60's and beyond. Good luck!!!

[LeaRNed]

I'm not much younger, I will be 32 when finished with my LPN in Dec. As far as not being able to handle the physical aspects when you get older, you probably shoudn't be too concerned with that, as my grandmother was a nurse into her 70s. It is your life, and you can do whatever you want to do... at any age.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Just do it. I started back at 42 for prereqs. Entered an accelerated program at 46. Finished at 47. Love my job and am just finishing my first year as an RN.

[Junebugfairy]

it is very important to understand a few things about nursing..

the schedule is not actually very flexible.. new nurses are given what many feel are the crappy shifts, you work weekends, all holidays, and nights..

during school you will experience everything, not just your preferred path in nursing.

after your graduate, before you can work at your preferred spot, you have to start out working what they give you.

[beautsbelle]

As others will tell you, there is no age limit on going into nursing. I just passed my NCLEX a week ago, and I am 37. I have worked in the field as a CNA, as well as a Health Room Assistant in the local school district where I live. I have always knew I wanted to be a Nurse, I was just unable to attend school due to ... well, life! I am ever so glad I went. I LOVED school. I worked hard, graduated and passed my test! Whew!

I just have to say, I am glad you said you wanted a job where you want to help people. It is sad, but there are SO many people after nursing careers right now due to the economy. I've heard "well, I can't make what I used to make so now I am going to be a nurse". AGGHHHH! I've even heard some say "There is no other field hiring, so I have to do this". I just want to yell " OMG..... NOOOOOOOO! If you are not in it to help people, PLEASE don't do this!"

Do you want a nurse taking care of you or a loved one that felt they "had" to be a nurse? Or would you want someone careing and compassionate who has an honest interest in your well being?

Congrats on your decision!

you'll do GREAT!

[llg, PhD, RN]

it is very important to understand a few things about nursing..

the schedule is not actually very flexible.. new nurses are given what many feel are the crappy shifts, you work weekends, all holidays, and nights..

during school you will experience everything, not just your preferred path in nursing.

after your graduate, before you can work at your preferred spot, you have to start out working what they give you.

exactly. i've met a lot of nursing students and new grad who failed to take the facts as fairycari described them into consideration. they see that some nurses have jobs that interest them ... here that there is a nursing shortage ... and wrongly conclude that they will be able to step right into those more attractive jobs as a new grad. that is rarely the case. most of the most attractive jobs have many applicants for every open position -- and employers will tend to choose the most qualified person to fill those slots. so, a new grad with no experience only rarely gets one of those jobs. most new nurses need to spend a few years getting some direct patient care experience before a lot of other possibilities become a realistic option for them.

also ... many of those "non staff-nurse jobs" require either a bsn or msn as well as previous staff nurse experience.

so .... be sure to check all that out and take it into consideration as you make your decisions. allnurses is a good place to do that. pay special attention to what the experienced nurses say and don't fall into the trap of believing the "marketing hype" of schools and others trying to recruit people into the profession. some students believe all that recruiting/marketing hype and get a big disappointment after graduation when they have to actually work as a staff nurse before their "dream job" becomes a possibility.

[Junebugfairy]

i do mind working every holiday, every weekend, etc.. but you might, and that is something to take into consideration.

in the hospital you work 12 hour shifts, which is something to also take into consideration.

realistically, the schedule is not flexible, but i did not get into nursing for flexibility, i got into it because i genuinely love it. i knew i wanted to be a nurse at 5.

death is not 'sad' to me, neither is disease. they are natural events in life, and my job is to care for people through these events, and ensure that their dignity and care are #1.

[patwil73]

Did most of you know from an early age that you wanted to be a nurse?

How did you know it was the right job for you ?

How do you deal with the sad events you witness at work every day ?

Were any of you particularly paranoid about getting sick or maybe contracting a disease through work? I'm just one of those people who has always been so paranoid about that kind of stuff.

Are there a lot of older nurses that work the floor ? By the time I graduate, I will be in my early 40's. I'm worried about later, when I am in my 50's. I worry that I may not be able to physically handle the job.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks in advance!

1) Nope - I started out in computer programming in college, quickly grew to hate it and moved on to teaching. Graduated with a teaching degree and worked 3+ years before I went back to college for nursing. Iwasn't getting full time work as a teacher and my sister in law said that nursing was always in demand, had good pay, and was primarily female. I didn't even know what acetaminophen was!

2) You realize that it is something you can keep doing with some success and some element of happiness. And because there are so many niches of nursing you can keep trying different areas until you are sure.

3) I cry. Hold my family. Play games. Read. Go to movies. Sometimes I can say it is for the best, but others I just have to say "life sucks". You get skilled at not holding it all in - find a relief valve and use it, often.

4) No. But many people in my class were convinced they had the latest disease of the week. You are trained in good habits to avoid getting sick - just remember to use them and not take shortcuts. It seems strange but what you learned as a kid (wash your hands) is still the best method of avoiding that bug.

5) Nursing can be very heavy and demanding. But there are niches where the heaviness is diminished. You talked about NICU which can be very fast paced but you are moving very small kids as opposed to med/surg where you might be turning a 600 pound man. However, I have found in all specialties that you have young and old, thin and overweight, disabled, sick nurses who do fantastic jobs and can keep up the pace.

I would advise almost anyone to go into nursing. It is truly a wonderful profession. You can try job shadowing (although it can be hit or miss on showing you what you want), but to truly decide if it is best for you, you just have to do it.

Hope this helps

Pat

[Jules A, MSN]

it is very important to understand a few things about nursing..

the schedule is not actually very flexible.. new nurses are given what many feel are the crappy shifts, you work weekends, all holidays, and nights..

during school you will experience everything, not just your preferred path in nursing.

after your graduate, before you can work at your preferred spot, you have to start out working what they give you.

your point is well taken and nursing surely isn't a cake walking cash cow but i happen to love nights/weekends/holidays. i make way more than day shifters and don't have all the annoying administrators etc. crowding my nurses station so i don't think that makes for a crappy schedule. :) also it depends on the area because my rn class was fortunate in that we were able secure jobs in many specialities such as nicu, telemetry, ed, and psych.

op: i got my lpn when i was 40.

[patwil73]

it is very important to understand a few things about nursing..

the schedule is not actually very flexible.. new nurses are given what many feel are the crappy shifts, you work weekends, all holidays, and nights..

during school you will experience everything, not just your preferred path in nursing.

after your graduate, before you can work at your preferred spot, you have to start out working what they give you.

i have to disagree here. as a nurse you can often apply for position from per diem (5 or 6 shifts a month) to 0.6fte (which is either 4 12 hr shifts in 2 weeks or 6 8hr shifts) to full time (which can be 6 12hr or 10 8hr). you can find positions that are weekend only (sometimes even two 16's each weekend but get paid for 40 hrs). many good hospitals will hire new grads into day and eve positions to avoid having all new people on nights. i work 7 days straight and get 7 off. nursing is very flexible.

most hospitals and nursing homes will require you to work every other weekend (although a few dept at my hospital work every 3rd weekend) but there are also doctor offices, day surgery clinics, etc which are m-f.

holidays are often rotated so you don't get stuck working every christmas - if they aren't find a fairer facility. also we have a dept here in my hospital which is closed every holiday.

when i graduated nursing school i wanted to work in the icu - i applied and was accepted to 3 different hospitals and their icu consortium (like school but you get paid). our l&d hires new grads all the time. sure some areas require experience and more education, but not all. check with hospitals in your area to see if they hire new grads for specialty areas.

where you work in nursing might be like what you described but it is not like that everywhere. just my

pat

[MA Nurse]

Pat, I think "fairy cari" was talking about when a nurse first graduates. You do not have the option of working per diem in the beginning. Hospitals want you to have a year or more experience first. Usually new grads do end up on the night shift. Not all hospitals work 12 hour shifts, we have both 8 and 12. You will work every other weekend and most major holidays because most places go strictly by seniority. I worked at a hospital for 16 years and worked almost every major holiday every year because all the nurses stayed there forever.

All that being said, I decided to be a nurse at 18 when I was trying to decide what to do in college. Nursing is a good paying job, esp. in Ca. where I live.

To the OP: if you stay in NICU you won't have to really worry about being physically challenged there...the pt.s are small...only the beds and other equipment are a little heavy to push. There isn't any heavy lifting. I've worked NICU for 19 years and I'm now 42. My only problem has been achy legs and feet from standing for long periods of time. If you have a good pair of support hose, I would wear them!

you are not too old to change careers! good luck to you! I do strongly suggest you try for NICU...I couldn't take floor nursing...too many patients and bigger messes...:)