am i too old??

[momtojosh]

hi all....

i am 45 and i am in the 10 mo LPN proram in NY......it is very intense,trying to cram everythin into 10 mo where it use to be 2 yrs(1/2 days)...should of taken it in high school like i wanted...but my guidance person said BOCES was for troubled kids......WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!! now i am encouraging MY own kids to go to BOCES...it is wonderful...all kinds of trades....ok..but anyway....on with the topic......like i said....i am 45,the oldest in my class...some are very close behind.....i am holding my own and I LOVE it.....i pull 80s and 90s.......now that we are getting deeper into clinicals and are able to go to various pats of the hospital instead of just med-surge...i am finding there isnt a whole lot out there for LPN's......like ACU only hires RNs,a wond center only hires RNs,the OR,the maternity ward,etc......

so I am wondering if i shouldnt go on now?? or am i too old? I did got to college and graduated with a degree in Early Childhood.....20PLUS yrs ago....some of those classes must be pre req wouldnt you think?......

also.....i am not doing this for money...doing it becasue i have always wanted to be a nurse.....so i am trying to weigh my options here.....be limited and just find somethng that i would like to do....or go on and have an array of options? I know the later sounds better.......but jeez....i dont want to be 50 and just starting a career.......

so.......anyone else here ever in this boat.....

thanks:nurse:

PAULA

[amjowens]

I am in a LPN program, and am continuing with my RN in Jan '09. I'm 30 years old (age is but a number!) and have similar feelings as you. I want to be an advanced practice nurse (nurse practitioner), and feel like I need to push hard to get through each step. Nursing is great in that it does offer steps to getting where you want to be, yet able to work at current level of nursing along the way. But, there are different emotions/experiences had when not "traditional" age when embarking on a long-term career plan!

Two of my closest classmates are in their late 50s. They are incredible, and I forget their age when we are in clinicals/chatting on phone, etc. They both look very good for their age (not necessarily important, but a fact), and are very energetic and passionate about nursing. Both of those ladies fit in well with all ages in our class. There's another lady who's in her early 60s in our class. She worked in a factory, and it was closed. She's doing this program because she feels she has to (though SAYS she wants to). She doesn't exactly "fit in" because she's always bringing up personal challenges, showing age differences (not learning computer skills, no cell phone, etc), talking about her factory days and its closing, and constantly brings up stories that fit to her personal health issues (and let me tell you, we hear DETAILS). And, my point, these ladies all in same age

cohort, yet look at the different experiences based on attitude/energy/thought patterns!

Go for it! As for RN, it's really the way to go for stability and compensation. We learned from our instructor that the major hospital in our city (Toledo, OH) is actually only hiring BSN nurses, not ADNs!!! I know this isn't the topic, but it's the trend, where those with higher education are in demand and utilized. LPNs (at least in NW OH) are not with options. Our instructor assumes that we are using the LPN as a stepping stone to the RN. Sad, because LPNs really have a lot to offer. But, hey, business is business and can be pretty cold, it seems.

[studentrn4me]

hi...i am an lpn...have been doing my thing for 22 years....studying hard to get into r n school...i am 49 years old and i have 5 kids...the oldest 30 years old.. the youngest is 9...you go girl...if this is what you want then go on..you would be surprised the ages of people who are trying to get back into school ...keep your head up....

[traumahawk99]

heck yes you're too old! after all, you've only got 20+ years left to work... considering that the average nursing career is much less than this... :).