Looking for student nurses, male and 50+

Nursing Students Male Students

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I am an African-American, male, student nurse, 50+ looking to enter nursing school. I wonder if there are any other men out there like myself beginning nursing school at 50 or am I just too late to join the profession!!!

We need male nurses!

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I will be 53 when I graduate next year with an ASN. I've got a 3.89 GPA which is way better than the 2 GPA I had with my BA.

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I'm 57 and completing a Paramedic to RN bridge program after 30 years in the Fire Service. I fully intend to work as a Nurse for at least 10 years. For me it seemed to be a logical step to RN after that many years as a Paramedic. Go for your dream, there are many here who have!

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@Zaptastic - I'm a 49 year old guy who's in the process of "taking the plunge" by starting out as a CNA. In my case, between November 2008 & February 2010 I lost (a) my 81 year old mom, (b) my 2 1/2 year old job, and © my 60 year old brother. Something of a triple-whammy.

Anyway, during the last 2 weeks of my mother's life I stood vigil by her bedside, and had a lot of time to think about my relationship with her, my family, my work, and my life in general. Somewhere along the line I started to see that my career in IT (have a B.S. in Computer Science, BTW) had cost me quite a bit, and that it was really time for some fundamental changes in what and how I was doing things. And, as things went I reflected on the people that had been taking care of my mom for what ended up being her last hospital visit. Most of the nurses were pretty coldly professional, but there were 3 that really stood out as being genuinely caring and understanding, and they all had one thing in common - they'd sat next to that bed, in that chair, holding the hand of a dying loved one.

So - for me, it's partly in rememberance of my late mom, partly because having "walked the fire" I have some idea what it's like to deal with the unique emotional challenges specific to palliative & hospice care, and mostly because it's an area where I can make a difference, however small or large, in someone else's life.

Pay's not bad, either. :)

And, to the OP (and any fence-sitters out there) - go for it! It's never too late to start a new career, or to follow a long (or not so long) cherished dream.

----- Dave

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Specializes in OR.

I work in the OR, and love my job!

The male nurses are that I work with are my fav staff members!

Good Luck in your new career!

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Speaking from experience, I can safely say that you are definitely not too late to change to nursing. While nursing school is a bit of challenge, especially if you're holding down a full-time while attending, it's not really all that difficult. You just need to realize that your social life will be on hold for couple of years.

Depending on where you live, the bigger challenge may be finding a job after graduation. Despite what you may have heard about a nursing shortage, the opposite is true for nearly all the urban areas in the US and new grads are finding it very tough. These days it seems that the overwhelming majority of jobs posted state "one-year experience required". YMMV of course.

Best of luck with your decision and don't let age be a factor making the choice.

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Specializes in Too Early.

45 here-husband and father of 5. I am a FF/EMT and I am currently working and making the leap to RN. First semester down and while it's a huge amount of work it is do-able! Go for it!

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By this time next year I should be 50 (half way to dead) and working on my BSN, if all my plans come together. Good times.

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45 here, will finish up with the spring semester. I have enjoyed my time in nursing school, but it has been a long and rocky road. I was ready to start making a difference in the world for people with my life instead of just making things.

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