Advice For An "older" Nurse To Be?

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 27, 2007

You would be much better off with a BSN because your body may not be able to handle the physicial work of most entry-level staff nurse jobs for long. You will want more opportunities to choose from -- and some of those opportunities will require at least a BSN.

ERICA57 · Dec 27, 2007

Hi llg:

Could you be specific about types of opportunities would be open with a BSN that would not with an AD/RN?

Do you have a sense of how/if my age might impact my marketability?

Thanks,

Erica

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 27, 2007

If you do a search of this site, you will find many threads on this topic. It's a question that almost all new nurses have.

The ADN prepares a student to take the RN exam for licensure (NCLEX) and take an entry level job as a staff nurse. Many excellent nurses begin their careers with an ADN and many never go back to school for higher education. However, many (most) jobs in nursing that involve supervising or teaching other nurses ... or involve working independently in the community ... or involve making decisions that involve policy or procedure ... etc. require a BSN. This includes many "clinical" jobs that involve teaching patients, coordinating programs, being a resource on a particular topic (such as infection control, or diabetes, cardiac rehab, research projects, tracheostomy teaching, etc.).

Many students and new nurses mistakenly think only management jobs require a BSN or Master's Degree. They say, "I don't want to be a manager, so there is no reason for me to get a BSN." As years go by, they get very disappointed (and sometimes burned out and bitter) when they realize that there are a lot of other jobs in nursing that also require (or strongly prefer) a BSN or higher.

I am 52 years old. I know my body is not the same as it was when I was 22 and just starting my nursing career. 12-hour shifts, rotating shifts, etc. are physically demanding. That's just a fact of life that you can't get away from. There is a reason why people like firemen, policemen, soldiers, etc. have early retirement ages (unless they are high up in the ranks). It's because there aging bodies can't handle the physical demands. The same is true of nursing. Yes, there are a few nurses who work at the bedside into their 60's ... but not many ... and most don't work full time at that age. That's for the same reason you don't see many 63-year-old firemen/policemen/soldiers/lifeguards/etc. on the front lines.

There are jobs in nursing that are not as physically demanding as other jobs -- and you will probably need one of those less physically demanding job soon if not as a new grad. They involve less physical work and more intellectual work and/or more independence in decision-making. To get those types of jobs, a BSN will be either necessary or strongly preferred.

ERICA57 · Dec 27, 2007

Thank you very much, llg, just the type of answer I was looking for.

Erica

fasolagrrl · Jan 14, 2008

I am an older nurse to be, too (55), so I read this thread with particular interest. I used to be a software technical writer, now I'm in a BSN program. On Tuesday I'll start the second semester of my junior year. I'm doing well in school but I feel like my stamina is flagging. Already, I can't wait for summer! :-) I haven't worked as a PCA, which I think I should do, but I have a life outside of school and this summer as well as last, by the time summer comes around, I think I will need the time to recuperate. I'm physically strong, it's the stress that gets me.

There have been times when I wondered what the heck I was doing getting a BSN at this age, but nursing is such a broad field and you and I both have first professions that could perhaps combine with the new one to give us an edge in future positions.

SP

butch228 · Jan 14, 2008

Hi

This post caught my interest b/c I started my nursing career in my mid 30s. When I sarted nursing school at age 35. I was in quandry in deciding whether to persue a Assoc degreee in nursing or a BSN. I already had a BS in Bio and I did not want to go the the traditional Bachelor route.

I decided to get my ADN due to time and more importantly the cost. The previous post is correct ..if you want to move up in the nursing career ladder...in decision making...a BSN should be your goal. In the RN workplace..many hospitals offer RN-BSN opportunities. But you'll find ..when you start working ..because of your age/experience..most likely you'll be viewed as a mentor/resource.

As for me..I didn't feel the need for a BSN..but decided to go for a RN-MSN route. Now ,I'm a Adult NP. The bottom line ..nursing offers a huge set of options..there are just many avenues to get there.

ERICA57 · Jan 14, 2008

Thanks for your reply Butch, I'm feeling somewhat discouraged about pursuing this path right now. I'm wondering whether any hospital would actually hire a new grad who's my age ...

I do believe I'd make a good nurse. I am a person with energy and stamina, (I actually work a pretty demanding job teaching kids and working with families right now, in addition to going to school) and I enjoy and have done really well (4.0) in science prereqs.

In your work experience, have you seen new grads my age actually get positions in hospitals? When you said I'd be viewed as a "mentor and resource" did you mean that I'd be unlikely to get an entry-level staff nurse job?

If I'm accepted by the BSN program I'm applying to, (not an accelerated one) I'll likely go that route, because although it's a bit more expensive, it will give me more options, I think. However I am applying to two CC's AD programs as well.

butch228 · Jan 15, 2008

Hi

When I worked at MGH on a medical floor..most of the new grads were younger..just fresh out of undergrad nurisng school. Acutally, there were a few that were well into their 40s..possilby in the early 50s. One new grad ...had a daughter well into her college years. Now ..since nursing is such a "hot" career..new grads come in a diverse range of ages.

My comment that you will be viewed as a mentor..I meant..because of your age/life experience..you'll carry yourself as the "mature"...more professional nurse..thus your colleagues will probably view you as a mentor. Your behavior will be different than the twentysomething nurse fresh out of college.

truern · Jan 15, 2008

Erica, I got my first nursing position even before graduation from an ADN program at the ripe old age of 52. I honestly don't think my age was a factor at all!!

ERICA57 · Jan 15, 2008

Thanks for your reply. I'm concerned because around here (Boston area) there is a surplus of everything...including new nursing grads. I've been reading the Massachusetts new grad posts, and it seems that many (or at least the ones that post) have significant trouble getting their first hospital job. And ...when there is intense competition for a limited number of jobs, my perrsonal experience has been that my "advanced" age works against me.

I am still going to do this...because I feel that I will find my niche out there, and I am more excited about nursing than I have been about anything for a long while. I just don't want to spend alot of time barking up the wrong tree (ie trying to get a hospital job if it's not really likely).

Thanks again.

Susan863 · Jan 15, 2008

Hi, I am usually a "lurker", but this thread just pulled me in. I am a 39-year-old pre-nursing student, also with a B.A. and a Masters degree in non-nursing fields. Erica, I think that as a long-time educator, you have a knowledge base and skills set that could take you far, in nursing or in any field! My own inspiration to look at a career change to nursing came from a medical crisis involving me and my infant daughter. I have since heard the true story of a local woman who was a computer engineer and decided in her forties that she wanted a second career in medicine! She is now a practicing M.D.! I say, if your heart is in it, go for it!

As for the specific path, you have at least three options that I know of (Associates, Bachelors, Direct Entry Masters)... they are the three options that I am kicking around, myself. I wish you luck in your decision-making.