Graduate RN at 57 years old

Nurses General Nursing

Published

:sarcastic:Here's my brief history: I earned my LPN way back in 1981. Worked for a short while in PCU (back then: Progressive Care Unit), Physician's offices & a little home health care. , but left the field to open a small custom bake shop for 10 years ( which was very successful, but always kept being reminded that my true passion was to be an RN). Now, I am excited & proud to announce, I will be graduating from an ADN program this December (on my birthday!) at 57 years old. I plan to continue toward my BSN, & be around 60+ then! The reality is, most nurses at my age are thinking about retiring, as I am now starting my new career! Is there hope for me finding a job in the world of younger applicants? Will I be accepted positively as a new nurse? I feel so much younger than my actual age, but I know the younger nurses may see me as a "senior", & of course, that is not how I see myself.

Any older new grads out there/

Specializes in long term care Alzheimers Patients.
:sarcastic:Here's my brief history: I earned my LPN way back in 1981. Worked for a short while in PCU (back then: Progressive Care Unit), Physician's offices & a little home health care. , but left the field to open a small custom bake shop for 10 years ( which was very successful, but always kept being reminded that my true passion was to be an RN). Now, I am excited & proud to announce, I will be graduating from an ADN program this December (on my birthday!) at 57 years old. I plan to continue toward my BSN, & be around 60+ then! The reality is, most nurses at my age are thinking about retiring, as I am now starting my new career! Is there hope for me finding a job in the world of younger applicants? Will I be accepted positively as a new nurse? I feel so much younger than my actual age, but I know the younger nurses may see me as a "senior", & of course, that is not how I see myself.

Any older new grads out there/

Healing hand I just want to say congratulations!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

First of all...............CONGRATS!!!! Secondly, you are an inspiration. I becam an LVN in 1995, in my early twenties. I have beed trying to get into a bridge program with out success, so far. I am in my early fourties now and you prove that I shouldn't give up. I will keep trying, thank you!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You.Go.Girl. So proud of you!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

I'm just curiously off-topic here. What about this post has some thinking the OP is female? Is it the bake shop comment? Or the "always had a passion to be an RN" comment? Honestly, based on the post, there is nothing definitive that indicates either way.

So sorry for veering off course. It's just that, last night, I had a patient that I honestly didn't know was male or female until I did my phsical assessment on him/her, aside from reading the records, of course. :bag: Even that person's visitors had me raising my eyebrows every time the door opened. And I'm no spring chicken! I've been around the blocks QUITE a few times and have seen a number of things that I respond with, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you". :down: Not that I'm judging because I'm a firm believer of live and let live and to each, his/her own. It's just that I CANNOT get last night out of my mind....and when I read "you go, girl", I just think, hmmmmmmm.....

To the OP, a profound CONGRATULATIONS to you!!!! Age ain't nothing but a number!! I'm with ya on not feeling old! One member posted comments about age-related health concerns in regards to being employable. But that member failed to mention the age-related plus of not requiring maternity leave, albeit for yourself or your spouse. ;) I've worked with quite a few new grads who apparently did too much celebrating after they passed boards and landed that first job with benefits and needed to begin using them immediately, if you know what I mean.:roflmao:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm just curiously off-topic here. What about this post has some thinking the OP is female? Is it the bake shop comment? Or the "always had a passion to be an RN" comment? Honestly, based on the post, there is nothing definitive that indicates either way.

So sorry for veering off course. It's just that, last night, I had a patient that I honestly didn't know was male or female until I did my phsical assessment on him/her, aside from reading the records, of course. :bag: Even that person's visitors had me raising my eyebrows every time the door opened. And I'm no spring chicken! I've been around the blocks QUITE a few times and have seen a number of things that I respond with, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you". :down: Not that I'm judging because I'm a firm believer of live and let live and to each, his/her own. It's just that I CANNOT get last night out of my mind....and when I read "you go, girl", I just think, hmmmmmmm.....

To the OP, a profound CONGRATULATIONS to you!!!! Age ain't nothing but a number!! I'm with ya on not feeling old! One member posted comments about age-related health concerns in regards to being employable. But that member failed to mention the age-related plus of not requiring maternity leave, albeit for yourself or your spouse. ;) I've worked with quite a few new grads who apparently did too much celebrating after they passed boards and landed that first job with benefits and needed to begin using them immediately, if you know what I mean.:roflmao:

Maybe it's based on the female gender symbol on the OP's avatar?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I graduated in 2012 at the age of 53. However I chose to stay in my previous career of IT. The job is stress free [ stay home 97% of the time] and the money was to good.

Good luck to u !!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Maybe it's based on the female gender symbol on the OP's avatar?

Haha, you can't go by that! I've been a member here for two months and have sent four men PMs calling their attention to the fact they didn't change their avatar from default (female).

Three changed it, one chose to leave it (!) So be careful, your ranks are being infiltrated!

Strange.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
Maybe it's based on the female gender symbol on the OP's avatar?

Ahhhhh......ok. I never paid paid attention to those, unless there was some sort of color in it....Thanks for the enlightenment.:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
Haha ...have sent four men PMs calling their attention to the fact they didn't change their avatar from... (female)... Three changed it, one chose to leave it...

Hey, Tom.

That raises all kinds of possibilities! No??? :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

Congratulations! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Congratulations!

Let me be 100% honest with you, if I was in a position to hire somebody and person across the desk was in their 60s I'd have my reservations. I'd think to myself do you have the stamina to hustle for 12 hours, can you use computers proficiently/quickly, are you going to get sick more than younger people, how old is your husband, is he living, will taking care of him make you unavailable, by the time you put in your 5 years necessary to become proficient you'll be eligible for retirement, why should I invest in that? That's just the nasty stuff I can think up off the top of my head. If it occurs to me it'll also probably cross the mind of other people. I'm a bad person.

If you were interviewing a young female nurse would you be thinking "Hmmm, I wonder if she's married? If she is, I wonder if she has kids or is planning to get pregnant? Wow, if she gets pregnant, I wonder how much maternity time she's going to need? How many times is she going to get pregnant? Am I going to have to make accommodations if she wants to breastfeed? Is she going to be calling off frequently because her kid is always picking up the latest virus/gi bug? What about her husband? Is their marriage stable, or is there going to be constant drama? Is she going to be difficult about working off shifts/holidays/weekends?

​See how that works?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment