Age Issues and The Modern Male Nurse

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I have my fi-aid stuff under control, I have a school picked out, a BSN program lined up, and the ultimate goal of becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in mind. I'm 48 years old. Am I insane? If so, why? If not, why not? Should I consider another avenue, like Clinical Counseling at my age? Thoughts . . .

I don't think you're insane. The only thing I would advise you on is to not make yourself an outsider.

I am a 21 year old student. There have been two 50-60 year old students in my classes that effectively ostracize themselves from all of the younger students because they are constantly interjecting life experiences they had from many years ago.

They were quickly labeled as weird this past semester. This would not be a big deal in regular life, but in college friends are welcome when you need someone to study with or if you need to get a copy of notes.

But go for it :) I think you can do it.

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Age has nothing to do with it. I'm 45 and will be graduating late this summer. If anything I feel coming back to school a little "seasoned" has made it much easier than in my youth. As to how patients and classmates receive me? Patients seem to be more relaxed having a seasoned/weathered student nurse no matter what the age of the patient. Classmates? Well the average age in my class is probably 25 but there are some of us in our 40's, 50's and 60's. The student seem to like studying with we "seasoned" student, they see we are serious about our studies and they also seem to enjoy seeking counsel from us in regards to their personal lives.

The journey has ben life changing. I've formed friendships I expect will last a lifetime and my interests in nursing have intensified. My goal of becoming a CRNA is even more important to me than when I first started the program. So my suggestion to you; go forward, keep an open mind, enjoy the new friendships and understand that you will not be given any tasks that others have not encountered before.

You can have a life while enjoying nursing school and being older has its advantages.

Good luck to you

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Specializes in Cardiac, Rehab.
I don't think you're insane. The only thing I would advise you on is to not make yourself an outsider.

I am a 21 year old student. There have been two 50-60 year old students in my classes that effectively ostracize themselves from all of the younger students because they are constantly interjecting life experiences they had from many years ago.

They were quickly labeled as weird this past semester. This would not be a big deal in regular life, but in college friends are welcome when you need someone to study with or if you need to get a copy of notes.

But go for it :) I think you can do it.

I appreciate the sentiment that I'm not crazy. But I would suggest to you that it is not their behavior that is ostracizing them but maybe your perception of them as "Old Students". They are probably as old as your parents or grandparents and I can imagine it is a bit weird for you to think of them as your peers in class. I would give them some credit for having gotten this far in life and having the fortitude to go back to school for a new career.

As a nurse, it will be up to you to be open to your patients needs, so why not start now and make sure they feel welcome. They might surprise with how much they can offer you in return.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Dude your definitely not crazy! As cliche as it sounds, age is just a number and I think you should definitely go for it. The one thing I will say is that you should try to keep an open mind about what kind of nurse you want to be. I know that now you seem to have a pretty firm idea of what kind of nurse you want to be but that can change as you gain experiences during clinicals so just try to be open to anything. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

!Chris :specs:

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I'm arriving a bit late to this discussion, but I am 52, and start an accelerated BSN program later this month. I retired from a very different career at 48, got bored, but have always been intrigued by health/medical professions. I volunteered on a whim at a local hospital emergency room, started taking pre-reqs "just in case" at a local community college, and, well, here I am. Like you, I will be feeling my way through this change.

Dudn't sound crazy to me.

I'm 48 years old. Am I insane?
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Hey guys. I just graduated at 44 with my BSN in May. Good luck to all of you. The bigger issue I am finding these days is just finding a nursing job for a new graduate RN. After graduating and passing my boards I am still looking for a job. I live in Chicago and am being forced to look in other states now just to find work. This economy has really taken its toll on new grad nurses. Just something to keep in mind. At this point I would be willing to take any position at any hospital just to get some experience. I even worked as a student in a Level III NICU for one full year prior to graduation and it still doesn't matter to recruiters. Best of luck to you all.

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This probably isn't worthy of a new thread, but NPR had piece on nursing this morning. You can listen to it here.

Mike Jones hopes to get one of those jobs. Not long ago, he was working long hours in his father's construction business, and he wasn't happy. After a couple of hours on the phone with his brother, Jones made an unlikely career choice: He decided to become a nurse.

"I enjoy helping people," says Jones as he sits in a common area at the medical education campus of Northern Virginia Community College. "[i've] never been in the medical field before. This is my first time. It's all new to me."

Jones is 40 years old, never went to college, and before he worked construction was a United Airlines baggage handler. He sees nursing as his ticket to a solid income-and a solid career....

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Your not crazy at all. I congratulate you on your decision. I have several people in my class that are in there 40's and 50's. Just keep in mind that when you go into nursing school that what they say is law and to forget everything you "know"

Sometimes that is what is hard for the older students because they are more used to being the "one with wisdom". Just don't let the kids get on your nerves and you will do fine!

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I need to agree with many of the posters who say to look past the age issue ....... OK, I've already changed my mind. Stop thinking about it as a disability / disadvantage and start considering it your SECRET WEAPON. I earned my first degree 23 years ago. I had an OK GPA (3.01) but nothing great. Now as a mature student, I have a 4.0 GPA (and Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology are done with). We're more organized, focused, and dedicated to the completion of our goal. Almost every older student excels above the children in class. (that's why even though we're 20 years older, the smarter ones still ask us to join their study groups) Focus on that and realized that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

I also agree with other posters who state that we still have so much still to learn so we should keep our minds open and be willing to adjust our goals as we experience new opportunities.

Best of luck!

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Specializes in Midwifery, women's health.

I have a good friend who graduated from an NP program last June at the ripe old age of 58! And I am currently in a grad-entry program and there are 6 in my cohort over the age of 45. Even if you're crazy, you're in good company!

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I agree, I don't think you are crazy at all. I'm 39, almost 40 and just starting. I plan to become a NP as well.:yeah:

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Specializes in ED.

I'm 57, now into my last year BN in New Zealand. I'm more focussed than I've ever been, and absolutely digging my degree, it's NEVER to late to learn, and you'll be confronted with stuff you never knew existed, it'll take you to rock bottom and back again, enjoy the ride, lol.

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