by tbradnc

This is my first post and I feel like the male nursing forum is most appropriate even though this is a gender neutral question.

I'm looking for advice, suggestions, bits of experience and wisdom, etc. about my long term strategy for becoming an RN.

I'm 47, married and have 3 teenage children. I own my own business which is successful and provides a good living for my family. Over the past few years I've felt a real shift in the direction I want the 2nd half of my life to go and am embarking on a long held secret ambition I've had - to become a nurse.

Because of my family and business obligations I can only go to school part time and am enrolled at our local community college half time starting the Spring 2009 semester.

At the rate I'm going I will be into my 50's before I'm a licensed nurse - whether it be an LPN or RN. This is not a problem for me personally - I'm in no particular hurry.

Given the investment of time this is going to take I'm wondering if it might be better to take a gradual path - first become a CNA, then LPN, then RN even though it would add at least 2 years to the process. My thinking is that by gradual immersion I could get some experience along the way that would confirm for me that nursing is the field where I indeed want to spend my last years of work-life.

The community college here has CNA, PN and ADN programs.

Or, would it be better to just start and stay with the ADN program?

Decisions, decisions...

Re: My long term strategy

I have just completed my ADN today and I would recommend that route just because it is cheaper and generally shorter in length. Plus, most BSN programs admit by GPA so unless you have a 3.5 or higher in most cases you may not get into the program anyway.

Re: My long term strategy

I got my RN at 54 and I am still working at 61.

You will learn a lot with the LPN and lower credentials, but the work is more physical. I had to quit doing med/surg because it was exhausting. I loved the work, but at 59, it killed me. The clinic nursing now do is 90% in a chair in front of a computer. I miss the physical pt contact, but I am still helping people with their problems. I can see doing this, part time, for years to come.

The higher the credential, the less the physical work.

It is still nursing.

Re: My long term strategy

I went back to school at 51 and became an LPN first, did the RN on-line.

Frankly, I would not advise that anyone become an LPN. The opportunities are very limited, and as someone who had been in management before my job was outsourced, I frankly found the lack of autonomy to be stultifying.

Good luck.

Re: My long term strategy

I would skip CNA work. You obviously already understand solid work ethic, which is one thing that being a CNA teaches you. CNA work can be completely back breaking, so there is no reason to subject yourself to that at this point in your life.

Skip LPN. Depending on the state you live in, an LPN license might get you a one-way ticket to a nursing home.

Focus on your studies; you're going to need to!

Re: My long term strategy

I just completed my first tri-mester in PN at the age of 57. My long term strategy is to enter my new career as an LPN while working on my ASN on a part-time basis. Unless you have doubts about a career in healthcare I would alos recommend passing on the CNA route. Good luck in whatever you choose.

Re: My long term strategy

It is very reassuring to see that it is not unheard of for a middle aged man to be making this transition.

As for what direction to go, I'm still undecided. I've got a call into my adviser at the community college to discuss options and help me set a strategy for moving forward. As I said in my first post I'm running a pretty good sized business and with 3 teenagers I'm pretty busy on the home front so I'm limited in how much work I can even do towards the pre-requisites. This semester I'm taking 7 hours which is just over half time.

I don't know that I could fit the CNA class in anyway but my thinking is that it would be an inexpensive and real-life look into the life of a nurse before I committed years of my time into becoming one.

Re: My long term strategy

when i went to lpn school, the first quarter, was all cna work. so i would skip that part.