Age Factor

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I am 52 yrs. old and am considering a career change to nursing was wondering if my age would be a factor in nursing school acceptance.

Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
Wow! the exact thing I wanted to ask about. I've been downsized, I've been outsourced. My current company has been bought and is undergoing a global reorganization. I am relatively secure in my job, this time around, but there are no guarantees moving forward. Oh yeah, I'm 51 (but I'm the youngest person my age that I know). I am looking at LPN programs in my area.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement.

Been there; done that; escaped in time!

I worked for a major financial securities/brokerage company that had two fairly major layoffs by the time I started taking prereqs. I was sick of constantly worrying that security would show up in my cube one morning.

Thankfully, the fall the before I graduated they purchased by another securities firm (who was just in the headlines again this week) and when they did "displacements" this spring, my entire former team was given notice they would be let go. I graduated 3 months later. I know I will always have work in this field, and better than that -- options if I become tired of one particular area.

My income has been cut some, but hopefully I can pull a bit of overtime here and there (and here's something novel -- be PAID for it) and make up the difference when *I* want.

I wish you the best!! In my opinion, you'd be better served to try to find a RN program if you can rather than go the LPN route due to their limited job outlook, but only you can determine your best pathway to this new career!!

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Specializes in ER paramedic.

:yeah:Started college at 47. I have finished my general education requirements and have been accepted into the ASN program at Ivy Tech State College in Valpariso, In. for the fall semester (next month, I get more exicited every day). I turned 48 today :jester: and will hopefully graduate in May of 2010. Two months before I am 50. On the application they did not even ask for my age. I finished in the bottom third of my graduating high school class, however I have made the Dean's list for the last two semesters at college and am maintaining a 4.0 gpa. All while continuing to work full time as a Paramedic (26 years) and maintaining my family life. I believe that our experience in life gives us a different perspective and the work ethic of our generation sees us through. Good luck to you and push forward - hard and fast.:twocents:

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Thanks for the encouragement. I said LPN, but it's actually a 1 + 1 program to get an RN-ADN.

Tom

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

:shbdy:

:yeah:Started college at 47. I have finished my general education requirements and have been accepted into the ASN program at Ivy Tech State College in Valpariso, In. for the fall semester (next month, I get more exicited every day). I turned 48 today :jester: and will hopefully graduate in May of 2010. Two months before I am 50. On the application they did not even ask for my age. I finished in the bottom third of my graduating high school class, however I have made the Dean's list for the last two semesters at college and am maintaining a 4.0 gpa. All while continuing to work full time as a Paramedic (26 years) and maintaining my family life. I believe that our experience in life gives us a different perspective and the work ethic of our generation sees us through. Good luck to you and push forward - hard and fast.:twocents:
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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I think others will agree with me that if you really want to be a nurse then you shouldn't let anything stop you from being a nurse. Honestly, your age will affect you as a nurse and it will be part of what determines what kind of nurse you are and the rapport you have with your patients. Your age will allow you to draw from your life experiences and help you to empathize with patients in a way that a younger nurse many not be able to yet. Embrace your age and go back to nursing school. You may find that some of us younger nursing students really aren't that bad and make good study partners. Good luck!

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Family Practice.

I have a lot of non traditional students in my class

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You young pups brought a smile to my face this afternoon. :D

I took my first pre-requisite nursing class this summer (human psychology), and passed the entrance exams required for anatomy and physiology. :D

I had some initial concern about being able to compete with 20 somethings but no more. The two A's in the class were from the two oldest students, and I'm the oldest. :chuckle The kids initially looked at me like I'd escaped from the old folks home.

I'm 64, a retired physicist/engineer, who has been caring for my wife 9 years. She had a CVA because she smoked.

I'm most interested in neo-natal nursing.

Bo, (I don't look as old as I am)

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
Bo, (I don't look as old as I am)

You GO Bo!! :icon_hug:

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I have to say reading all the posts on this thread is very encouraging. I'll be in my early 40's before I become a nurse if all goes according to plan and I have spent more than a few moments fretting about how old I was.

Btw many years ago I remember Dr. Laura advising a female caller not to go into nursing at age 36 because of the physical challenges...lifting and that sort of thing and it was the memory of this conversation that gave me second thoughts about studying nursing in my late 30's. I'm glad to see from reading this thread I am not an anomaly.

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
I have to say reading all the posts on this thread is very encouraging. I'll be in my early 40's before I become a nurse if all goes according to plan and I have spent more than a few moments fretting about how old I was.

Btw many years ago I remember Dr. Laura advising a female caller not to go into nursing at age 36 because of the physical challenges...lifting and that sort of thing and it was the memory of this conversation that gave me second thoughts about studying nursing in my late 30's. I'm glad to see from reading this thread I am not an anomaly.

Dr. Laura is full of bologna. I used to listen to her all the time, but it's hard to swallow advice from a gal whose past is full of mistakes but she doesn't give a tiny sliver of grace for anyone who's finding their own way in life. Her way or the highway. I love it when she advises young gals to stay home with their kids, etc., while they're being subjected to all kinds of BS from their "significant others" instead of encouraging some independence, but I'll jump off that soapbox, grrrrr.

I am 52 and graduated in May. I'm not in the best physical shape -- I am overweight and have been a 0.5 - 1 pack/day smoker for 30+ years. I am not overly obese (my thighs don't rub together yet, lol), and my health, with the exception of some hypertension in the past couple of years has been excellent.

The physical demands, other than being on one's feet all day, are not excessive. I am in a facility that stresses a team approach to any heavy lifting demands. I believe most decent employers do so these days. I have heard many nurses say they will NOT lift without assistance as we are so much more aware of the importance of the health of our backs. Are there other methods of hurting yourself and do accidents happen where you can be hurt? Oh, sure....but I believe the same can be said of the construction guys in the building who are carrying around an extra 50 lbs. around their gut and climbing around on scaffolding.

My age has not been an issue at any point in this journey, except perhaps for someone else (I had an instructor 4th semester who seemed to pick on us older students; tough, we all graduated and got jobs).

Hang in there and don't concern yourself with that "number". You will probably find you run circles around the younger students both in class/academics and in clinicals. Age has its advantages; wisdom, drive, and ambition being among those....:chuckle

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Please, please, please stop smoking--try the patch, try meditation, try prayer.

I lost my dad when I was 23 due to heart problems caused from smoking. My brothers were 12 and 15 & without a father.

My wife had a stroke 9 years ago--right arm and hand are paralyzed, Broccas aphasia (3 years before she could say I love you), walks short distances with a quad cane.

I never realized how addictive the D-MN things are until I saw people outside a hospital, hooked up to an IV trolly, inhaling cigarette smoke through a filter in their neck.

I am 52 and graduated in May. I'm not in the best physical shape -- I am overweight and have been a 0.5 - 1 pack/day smoker for 30+ years. I am not overly obese (my thighs don't rub together yet, lol), and my health, with the exception of some hypertension in the past couple of years has been excellent.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I graduate in May 09, at 45. Last semester in my clinical I was the youngest out of 10 students...the baby at 44! The bad side was there were no young hotties...dang!

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