O.k. I don't want to offend ANYONE out there, I just want to know what are the opinions of different people and maybe not feel so bad for thinking this way. I'm currently attending an ADN program and I'm so happy that I was accepted to nursing school. HOWEVER, I have to say, It really gets me thinking when I see the OLDER crowd, and what I mean with that is people who are OVER 50, who get into nursing school. Now, I have NOTHING against ACCOMPLISHING a life-long dream! I'm all for that, but... REALLY if you're over 50 years old, it takes 2 years to become an RN. How much longer can you work and before you retire?
And so my question is, do you think that person's spot would have been better off to a younger person who could aleast work MORE than 15 years in nursing before it's like, "oh, I can't no longer catch up with all the action?" I mean, we are in a nursing shortage, and we have enough nurses retiring as it is...to now have new nurses that won't really last that long in the field.
Age does not matter. Age and wisdom often go hand in hand. I stayed home with my 2 kids for 12 years and homeschooled them for 8 of those years. Now at 38 it is my time to go back to school. I am a much more serious student than I was at 18 and my grades are much better. It also instills in my kids ages 12 and 13 how attainable a college education is. My kids and I also compete as to who can get the highest GPA. School at 38 is great!
To the first poster. I just graduated at almost age 50 and am PROUD. Also am proud of anyone that can make it at any age. But I found that a few in my nursing class that were younger I would not let touch me or my family. Mostly because all they thought of was getting high and not putting nursing first before playtime. They are lucky that they had instructors that cared enough not to kick them out of the program. I plan on working another good fifteen years. Believe me there are enough jobs to go around for all nurses. Good luck on changing your attitude.
well, agree with you or not people should not critize others on the board for grammer errors... its is bad web board manners.
If you're going to throw stones be prepared to get some back. I don't care how many degrees or initials one has after their name, if your grammAr & spelling are incorrect, you lose credibility. If you want to take nursing to the next level, you should appear as an educated person.
I went to get my school photo ID made last month, and the gentleman filling out the form asked if I was on staff. I should have said 'yes' to get better parking.:chuckle
I went to get my school photo ID made last month, and the gentleman filling out the form asked if I was on staff. I should have said 'yes' to get better parking.:chuckle
At clinicals, I'm always assumed to be the clinical instructor. :)
I think that education is our right, and if anyone is willing to pay the cost and put in the time and effort, they should have the right to do so. You said that your grades were lacking, and you had to retake some in order to get into nursing school. Well I gotta tell ya... that is the most telling part of this entire thread, in my mind.
It is not unfair that someone older than you got in before you, because apparently they worked harder for it, if you have GPA issues and they do not. While GPA itself is not all that important if you still learn the material, what it DOES show very clearly is your work ethic. The person that works hardest in school is most likely to work hardest when they are OUT of school. (exceptions abound I'm sure) I would rather have an older nurse on my staff, who worked hard and knew what she wanted than a young nurse who was not yet quite able to steady themselves and be consistent.
Its not "bad" that you are not at that point yet, its just a part of youth. I went through it, and many of the other people on this board went through it. I look back on it and think of how I wish I had just been more mature, faster, and then realize that it was those experiences that I had then, that make me who I am now.
When you're 10, 20 seems very old, when you're 20, 40 seems old, when you're 30, 65 seems old... its only because you cannot relate so it feels like thats "the end" even though it is not. I would strongly urge you to print out this thread, put it in an envelope with your treasured things, and take it out 10 years from now, and see if you feel the same. You may or may not, but I think it would be an interesting way for you to see how you perceived the world 10 years prior.
I am sure they will welcome you with open arms when you start looking for work. If you are foreign AND young, they will love you even more!
I had to wait until I was 50 to get my RN. My parents would not allow me to go to nursing school right out of high school, even though my heart had yearned for it from age 5. My mother, an RN who graduated around 1949 or 1950--I'm not sure, I wasn't here yet) retired at 75, so I figure I have 25 very good post grad years left. The odds are you will retire before I do, actually!
I have had some difficulty getting work except in the most hideous unsafe situations where no one with her head on straight would give them a second look. I believe hiring managers look at me and think like you: I should have 35 years of experience or 35 years of working potential. And I don't. So the jobs go to the young ones who haven't had the sort of life experience that patients who need the TLC kind of care like to have. The hospital associated with my school is actually recruiting Filippino nurses--and the Philippines needs their nurses!
Right now I am with an agency that advocates for me, but I continue to interview. I am passed over for younger nurses every time.
In the 4 years since I got my license, I have become certified (CHPN) on my own, and studied for and earned my ACLS, also on my own. I go to more CE's than required, and certainly more than my colleagues, because my thirst for learning and desire to be the best nurse I can be drives me to continually learn. I am also a graduate nursing student at Baylor University in Dallas, working toward my MSN/FNP. So far, so good.
I know that every patient for whom I care gets excellent nursing, and they have all, without exception, taken my hand when I have bid them goodbye and thanked them for the honor of caring for them, that I have made a difference in their lives. It means a lot to me to know that I can make a difference!
If you think someone like me is not worth the time I am willing to invest or the money I spent and am spending on tuition, books, fees and travel then I guess you are entitled to your opinion. But I don't think that it is very smart, frankly. But you are young, and you have time to learn. We "older nurses" already have that part done....
Christine
O.k. I don't want to offend ANYONE out there, I just want to know what are the opinions of different people and maybe not feel so bad for thinking this way. I'm currently attending an ADN program and I'm so happy that I was accepted to nursing school. HOWEVER, I have to say, It really gets me thinking when I see the OLDER crowd, and what I mean with that is people who are OVER 50, who get into nursing school. Now, I have NOTHING against ACCOMPLISHING a life-long dream! I'm all for that, but... REALLY if you're over 50 years old, it takes 2 years to become an RN. How much longer can you work and before you retire?
And so my question is, do you think that person's spot would have been better off to a younger person who could aleast work MORE than 15 years in nursing before it's like, "oh, I can't no longer catch up with all the action?" I mean, we are in a nursing shortage, and we have enough nurses retiring as it is...to now have new nurses that won't really last that long in the field.
Wow, I must say as my first time to post on allnurses.com I never expected to be so encouraged. I am 52 and planning on going back into nursing school. My age has been holding me back for years. When I was in nursing school before I loved it but had to drop out because my parents became too ill to care for themselves. Then I became quite comfortable with my home-based transcriptionist position while my daughter grew up. Now with my position at the hospital being phased out in 1 to 1.5 years, I know this will be my last chance to do what I have always wanted to do. Thanks to your uplifting posts my only problem now is whether to go for an LPN in 18 months or RN in 2.5 to 3 years. I value your opinions so help me out with this dilemma.
i only read the first page of replies... but isn't your SS amount based on like the last 10 or 15 years that you work? if you work until you are 68... then it would help.
but i have to ask... nursing is hard on the body. do these nurses expect to be working the floor until retirement?
I do not think I'll work in staff nursing "bedside" nursing. I have three sisters who are advanced practice RNs and they are very honest regarding how physicaly difficult this can be for anyone. I believe the field is so broad that I find my niche and enjoy it. If not, it will be "trial and error" to find my place in this nursing world.
I would also like to say that at my age, kids gone, grandkids coming, no debt--I want to do something worthy of my time, challenging, and ever changing. So, I think that caring for others is worthy of my time, challenging, and not the same from day to day. I don't think that has any age requirement. :wink2:
I also want to thank the original poster for her honest question. In LPN school there were a few students who may have felt I was their competition. I was not there to compete with them, I did my best in school and clinicals for my own self satisfaction. They may have felt that I blew the curve, comparatively made their grades look worse, and pressured them to work harder. With my life options I choose to be there because I wanted to invest my time into a career that would make me happy until the end of my life. (I want to die with "no regrets.) That is whether I am caring for a family member, neighbor, or a paid position. That's the attitude I want to see from a nursing professional at any age.
I will be 41 when I graduate from an ADN program. Do you think it will be more difficult for me to find a job as opposed to a 25 to 30 year old right out of school? Does anyone else have experience on this? With an ADN can you really just do bedside nursing and would it be a good idea at my age to pursue advanced degrees to get away from the physical strain of bedside when I get a bit older?
Please could we debate and discuss the topic, and refrain from posting comments that could be viewed as personal attacks.
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Of course it is fair, the younger student had the same oppurtunity to make the grade to earn the slot. I think it is sour grapes to complain, if they didn't get the slot. They obviously should have worked harder. I feel the same could be said if it were turned around, and an older student was complaining about a younger student.
Who has the right to tell anyone they are not worthy to seek out their dreams?
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Thank you your comment makes sense and goes back to what I was asking.
at the top of each post, you can submit your comments of why you are reporting the post. The staff will be notified with your comments for that specific, this is the most efficient way to report post. Let the staff deal with the problem, if you respond to that attack, you may find yourself removed as well, and we don't want to see that happen.
dst4ever
57 Posts
Age does not matter. Age and wisdom often go hand in hand. I stayed home with my 2 kids for 12 years and homeschooled them for 8 of those years. Now at 38 it is my time to go back to school. I am a much more serious student than I was at 18 and my grades are much better. It also instills in my kids ages 12 and 13 how attainable a college education is. My kids and I also compete as to who can get the highest GPA. School at 38 is great!