Much Older People Going Into Nursing

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iread the forums and see alot of really older people who are like 45, 50, nearly 60 talking about taking pre reqs to be a nurse. If you are that old, you only have about what 10 years left to work or less for those who are older. Why chose such a physically demanding profession when you are in your twilight years? nursing needs people who are young and still in their prime. Thats just how i feel. When I"m 50, I want to be retired, planting flowers, and relaxing looking after my grandkids. Not on the floor looking after sick people with crazy demands.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
However, the life experiences that I have had make me a far better nurse now than I was when I was younger. I'm more empathetic, have a better understanding of grief and loss and am not afraid of disease or death. I have a strong faith that sustains me and healthy relationships that support me. When I was in my twenties, I was painfully shy and had a hard time communicating with patients and families; now I can talk to almost anyone about pretty much anything. Like Zookeeper44, I too would rather have the 50 y.o. "me" as a nurse over the 20 y.o. new grad I was way back when.

What a wonderful post, Moogie! Especially the above. I'm one who believes that God does not put a strong desire in our hearts for no reason. What do we know? That's why I shy away from discouraging others even if I don't understand how they are going to "get there". PS My kids are also 19 and 22. I'm not yet in a hurry to be a Grandma. In fact, it seems like yesterday when they were still wearing footsie jammies. ;)

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

MaryMack is from Europe or northern Africa according to her time zone.

My mother worked til she was 75 my mother-in-law did til she was 72 then she worked at the senior citizens feeding the "old people" there.

America is indeed a totally different culture where people can change careers many times in their lifetime. I'm 65 don't look it, don't act it and don't call me old cause I'm just getting started.

Specializes in Med-Surg.
The culture i'm from, 40 and 50 is not considered young its old age and the women are grandmothers by then. The women in my family would not even consider going back to school at 50, they say its too old. American culture is so different

I'm a grandmother, three times and I just graduated from nursing school. I would like to think American culture is a culture of liberation. Not always, but we try.

Not everyone rolls out of high school up to the college or university gates beating on their packbacks screaming "make me pre-nursing, please!!" More commonly, they attend school and get degrees for jobs their parents wanted them to get...but they never truly warmed to the job...it wasn't their hearts desire but rather a paycheck for they could settle down and start a family.: D

This is my favorite quote! I wanted to go to medical school in High School and my father (who is a doctor) wouldnt let me.. so I studied architecture. Now (10 years later) that the architecture and construction industry has fallen on it's face I have the opportunity to go back to school. Its not medical school (which is not even appealing to me anymore) but I am applying to a Direct Entry MSN program to become a NP. When people look surprised at my severe career change they ask me "why" and I mostly tell them the quote above (along those lines).. How are you suppose to know what you want to do for the next 40+ years of your life at the ripe old age of 18????? Its such a big decision at such a young age I am actually surprised there are not more career changers. I am actually excited (and really nervous.. just applying now to schools) to go back to school at 29 and graduate at 32. I realize Im not an "older" student as referenced in this thread, but will probably wont be on the younger side either in my nursing class. :yeah:

Specializes in ICU.

How are you suppose to know what you want to do for the next 40+ years of your life at the ripe old age of 18?????

This is so true. I was having a discussion with my mother over the christmas holiday and i was telling her how frustrated I was that I didn't take school more seriously when I was 18. After watching 5 of her children graduate HS and move out she said it was almost frightening to watch her kids go out into the world and have to make decisions that would affect them for the rest of their lives. Of course we knew what we were doing and didn't need to take mom and dad's advice! We were adults now! LOL! Well, I'm making up for some of my not-so-wise choices now :)

Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I also think that sometimes being a returning student has advantages in how we learn. As a college freshman I had so many changes to deal with and my grades weren't what I had earned in high school. (The C+ in chemistry is still haunting my GPA today!) I took A&PI this past summer summer in a very intense format (four hours a night, four nights a week for 15 nights). It was in no way abbreviated or made easier, just fast. I worked full time and I've got three young kids at home that needed my attention at times when I would have preferred to study. But, I still managed to get a A, because I've learned over the years how to use my time more wisely than I did back in college. Not that some younger students didn't get A's as well, some did. But some complained about the workload, regularly started packing up their notebooks and bags twenty minutes before lecture even ended (not that I wasn't tired at 9pm also, but come on!), didn't come in to make use of the lab models before or after class, and blamed the professor for making the tests too hard. I am happy for those that realize that nursing- or any other career- is what they want to do at 18 or 19, but I'm also happy for those of us that can bring life experience to our new careers that will help us be better nurses, even if we're somewhat more "mature". Good luck to all.

Specializes in Operating Room.

It's good to read all the wisdom on this thread, and it really doesn't surprise me as many of my classmates have similar stories. I see a couple people have figured out that OP is from a different culture and I wish people would address that more. American culture is vastly different from many other cultures. A friend in ns is European and I'm from Asia but I see that our cultures are very similar in the ways of thinking. It is quite surprising as our countries are so different.

For example, the OP said that most people in their 40s and 50s are grandparents in her culture and that there's not really a reason for them to get into another career that late. This is also true with my culture. My mom became a grandmother at 39 (and yes both my mom and sister were married when they had children). While grandmothers still work, they often play a big role in their grandchildren's lives and that really doesn't leave time, for, say nursing school. You can visibly see this effect; if you stepped onto a university campus, it is just full of younger people. I tell my mother, bless her, that some of my classmates are her age, she couldn't believe it. There are so many dynamics at work to explain these differences with American culture. OP, overall, Americans are vastly independent in their endeavors. The cultural expectations are not the same so that is why you see many "older" people returning to school to seek another career. I think that American society in a way doesn't expect a young person to really know what they want to do for the rest of their lives, contrasted with mine or perhaps your culture where they are expected to know. Sure I'm a typical young college student but I've also known what I wanted to do since I was literally 13. If at my age I was still messing around in college, my family would be up in arms, not happy at all. As I talk to other college-bound people from other cultures, I hear this being echoed constantly. I'm sure that after reading 8 pages of replies, you can see the circumstances of some nursing students and hey, you learn something new everyday!

as offensive as the op may have sounded in the beginning, I think she/he may have learned a lot from reading your posts. I admit that when I started college 2 years ago, I was not serious at all (partying, missing class to sleep in, etc). Then, it all gets old & you realize how much it destroys your gpa and health (I never had so many health issues until college). I've learned sooo much in the past few years but I know that playing around won't get me anywhere. Right now, I'm focusing on improving/boosting my gpa and revamping my study habits so that I will be prepared for the actual nursing program. I wish I had as much wisdom as you guys...thank you all for your posts because they actually inspired me :bow:

Someone who is 45 or 50 only has 10 years to work??? In this economy? :lol2::lol2::lol2:

TWILIGHT YEARS???? :lol2::lol2::lol2:

When I"m 50, I want to be retired, planting flowers, and relaxing looking after my grandkids. Not on the floor looking after sick people with crazy demands.

I hope that works out for you!

Miss Mary Mack... Part of me wonders if you posted this to be cheeky and get everyone all riled up just for the fun of it! Here's my story: 51, went back to do prereqs at 48. I have a 4.0 and just completed semester three of NS. I am at a healthy weight, have a lot of energy to spare, and a lot of that unquantifiable but oh-so-valuable thing called life experience. I am in better shape than many women in my program who are 20+ years younger. I would urge you and me and all of us to back off from generalizations about each other especially based on age. The best nursing students in my program range from age 19- 51 and the worst ones range from age 19-51. Two of my role models are women my age who went through my program as older students and who are successful and full-time RNs.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I agree, eyeball. A very good chance the OP intended it that way. But after so many great responses and personal stories I'm not even bothered by it. I like the idea of taking a (possibly) troll post and turning it into a really worthwhile thread topic. :yelclap:

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