Too young to be a nurse??

[eschoolgirl]

Hello, I have a friend who was telling me that the younger the person goes into nursing field the more they're looked down upon by other nurses. I would thing that if we were being judged it would be by our work skills not our age.I am starting feel like I am a little naive about these things but I would really like to know. So, just out of curiosity how old was the youngest nurse you have worked for? How are younger nurses seen in your work enviroment? Is there really that much of a discrimination on age? I would like to know of any personal experiences or comments about this matter.:)

[eschoolgirl]

Thank you all for your encouraging words:) I feel relieved after reading yalls experiences and comments!

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

I am the youngest in my class. I started at 18 and am now 19 about to finish my second semester. I will be 20 when I graduate. I work in a hospital as a CNA now and people are always asking me how young I look to be working at a hospital. I also hope that this doesn't heavily affect potential employers decision to higher me. I couldn't start my job at the hospital for 2 months, due to me being 17 when I actually got hired. My first day of work was actually on my 18th B-day.

[Luckyyou, BSN, RN]

I graduated with my BSN when I was 22 and was the youngest on the oncology unit where I started by at least 3 years. I am still one of the youngest in the NICU where I work now at 23 but there are a few of us around my age (and even younger, I think). Nobody has ever given me trouble about my age, although patients used to automatically assume I was the CNA and the much older CNAs were the nurse.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

One of my patients told me the other day that I don't look old enough to be a nurse. I'm 27, and I was like DAWWWW! I feel like working nights ages me terribly, so it was a nice thing to hear!

[Good Morning, Gil]

There are some 40 somethings out there that are "too young" to be a nurse in that they are about as responsible as irresponsible teens lol. Age doesn't matter; it's maturity (all kinds, emotional, accountability (showing up to work, and showing up on time).

Best of luck to you!