I'm a 50yo and have a high paying job, but I am very interested in being an RN (starting out as a CNA-- hopefully in peds). My goal is to work as a Neonatal RN, perhaps in NICU. I'll have to take all the prereqs, etc., and there's no way I can do all that's needed AND hold down my current job.
Am I nuts to quit a cushy job and take a huge pay cut to start all over and work as a CNA and go back to school?? I have spent a ton of time at our Children's Hospital, as well as taken care of my 13 yo with CP (spastic quadriplegic in w/c and 24q care). I've learned a lot over the past 13 years.
The idea of helping children manage their pain and feel better and be able to go home makes my heart sing!! BUT... yikes!! Advice? (Thank you-- and thank you for all that you do!)
I had just as much trouble finding a job at 50 as I did at 43 after wasting a good deal of time and money obtaining a nursing license. Sixty-five is not far away and you would be surprised how many calendar days between nursing school and today I have not been gainfully employed. The money I wasted on nursing school would have gone a long way toward rent and food. Who wants to be worrying about rent and food at this age? Not me.
Oh, boy! I must say in all honesty, I was not expecting the responses I've gotten. I thought I'd get a whole lot of, "It will be tough. School isn't easy and starting over isn't fun, BUT I love what I do and hope you do too!" With all due respect, I'm surprised by how almost everyone here sounds disappointed by what they do. Unhappy, overworked, unappreciated... underpaid. Yikes! That's exactly how I felt as a teacher. It was a huge bummer. (But thank you for chiming in.)
To clarify, I'm not disappointed with what I do, or unhappy/overworked/unappreciated/underpaid. But I got into nursing at a v. different time and have 30+ years in the field. I've put in a lot of time and paid my dues, and returned to school and gone into an advanced practice specialty. I've had a terrific career so far, and have done lots of interesting and satisfying things within my specialty.
For someone 50, looking at starting out in nursing now?? Much as it saddens me to say it (because I do love nursing), I cannot in good conscience advise it. I've seen nursing change a lot over the years I've been in it, and not for the better.
If you currently have a well-paying job that you don't hate, my advice is still to stay in your current position and look for other opportunities to "scratch the itch" that you feel pulling you toward nursing, perhaps by volunteering.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I am surprised that none of the previous responses mentioned the very real issue of age discrimination in nursing. In spite of the Pollyannish "go for it" cheerleaders, 50 years of age is not the most optimal time to enter this profession.
@TheCommunter Absolutely no one has been cheerleading here in their responses! And, if I told you I was 30 you would probably believe me! Otherwise, I have a lot of education to go on (being so old and all) and who'd know the difference??
Okay, I have to chime in because I really don't think this is an age discrimination thing. I'm almost 30 and have been a nurse over 5 years, almost all of that in peds, and I do absolutely love my job. But its hard. Its seriously hard. Sometimes I can barely stand or make myself get out of my car because my legs hurt so bad when I get home from a shift. So its not that its an age thing - its that I can't see telling somebody that has a job that they don't hate "oh it's so magical every day!". Because it's not. Seeing CPR being done on a 4 day old baby? It's hard. It hurts my heart and it weighs me down every day. It's things that you just can't unsee.
And like I said.... I generally love my job. Peds is wonderful in this special magical way too. But I'm also going back to get an advanced practice degree because I literally can't see myself doing this at 50.
Also, you should look into the prereq requirements also. Usually you need Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2, Microbiology to start, along with other nursing specific classes (Like I had to take a biology level nutrition - and yes, that was for my ADN). Those classes take longer to complete than you think because one is essentially a prerequisite for the next.
On that note, I think the world needs good nurses and people that feel passionate about it. I'm one of THOSE PEOPLE. But like another post said, do you really want to take your time away from your children and worry about paying rent in the meantime? Nursing school is no joke - it's hard. But also, not nearly as hard as the real thing.
Good luck to you! I'm sure you will make an excellent peds nurse.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I have a lot of education to go on (being so old and all) and who'd know the difference??
Recruiters and HR staff would know the difference, and since these people are the gatekeepers to the prized pediatric nursing job you desire in the near future, their subconscious views on age matter immensely.
At the end of the day, a 52-year-old new grad RN is still 52 years of age and must compete in this brutal employment market with 22-year-old grads for the same jobs.
The Director of Nursing who brought up the subject of my age during a job interview certainly knew the difference and she didn't give a rat's patootie if I thought she was making remarks that clearly indicated that discrimination was being used in the hiring process. I was perplexed only so long as it took me to realize that she probably thought I wouldn't have the stupidity level to create waves if I wanted to work at all in that area. When it is an employer's market, they call the shots, law or no law.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
The Director of Nursing who brought up the subject of my age during a job interview certainly knew the difference and she didn't give a rat's patootie if I thought she was making remarks that clearly indicated that discrimination was being used in the hiring process.
I've also had my age mentioned in an interview, although this was blatantly illegal. Here's the kicker...I was 28 years old at the time, and the interviewer wondered aloud why I entered nursing at an "older" age (I first became a nurse at age 25).
One nurse manager bluntly told me she prefers "younger" nurses because she feels "older" nurses are argumentative and set in their ways, whereas "younger" nurses are so much "easier" to manage.
Start taking pre reqs. Or take a CNA course and see if you like it and/or could work weekends per diem. It is likely that if you resign you can't go back. But maybe not. Also nurses are often expected to rotate shifts, work nights, etc. easier in your 20s. Do you have money saved? Can you afford to not work? Be nice if you could give nursing a try but be able to change back if you don't like it.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
My path to nursing started exactly where yours did, ahud2015. My son was born with a congenital heart defect and has had enough additional health woes for 10 people. Like you, I spent a lot of time in hospital with him, learning about complex disorders and diagnoses and turning my hand to many new skills. Nursing school (the didactic part) was a cake walk for me. I was 36 when I graduated 21 years ago. I won't lie and say that pediatric nursing is magical or fun - it's darned hard work both physically and emotionally. The older I get the less my body enjoys it, especially rotating shifts. And the longer I do it, the harder it is on my spirit. But I still have a lot to give back and will do it until it's time to go out to pasture.
In your particular situation, it might be worthwhile to talk to the head nurse on the ward you're most familiar with. S/he might have the best advice of all for you, knowing you and the employment climate in your area. Ultimately the choice will be yours, but getting real, pertinent advice from someone with local knowledge will be much more valuable to you than opinion on an anonymous social media site. Best wishes to you.
I think that is great that you are thinking about becoming a nurse, but I also have to say yes you would be nuts to quit a cushy job with great pay. The realities of nursing would burst your bubble. The more administration expects from us with minimal staffing to keep profits up and of course those patient satisfaction score numbers high--takes away from actual quality nurse/patient interaction time. If a lower paying job where you hit the floor running for 12 hours (that usually turns into 13 hours), sitting down maybe for an hour total your whole shift to chart, with no breaks, hearing call lights and alarms constantly, stressed out, and lucky if you get a small lunch break or bathroom break then nursing is the job for you. I didn't get into nursing for the glory, but the thankless treatment by administration, many patients' families, and unfortunately many patients has slowly chipped away at the great joy I went into nursing with--but I still have the occasional patient that reminds me why I became a nurse--how much longer I will be a bedside nurse though is questionable. If you want to make your heart sing then volunteer at the hospital, work children's fundraisers, volunteer with children programs when you can--they always need volunteers-- and stay at your good paying job.
Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.
I had a great nursing career and I worked a number of specialties that I loved.
Keep looking around AN and you will find nurses who feel the need to get away from the bedside as they age. For me, I made the move away from the bedside after 20 years (and I was in my mid 40's). It becomes very challenging physically. In addition, consider that you would most likely start on night shift. I was just done with working holidays, shifts, every other weekend, etc.
With a AD it is also not easy to find those jobs away from the bedside and eventually you very well may need one.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
I had just as much trouble finding a job at 50 as I did at 43 after wasting a good deal of time and money obtaining a nursing license. Sixty-five is not far away and you would be surprised how many calendar days between nursing school and today I have not been gainfully employed. The money I wasted on nursing school would have gone a long way toward rent and food. Who wants to be worrying about rent and food at this age? Not me.