I am 38 and just now considering nursing as a second career after 18 years in the real estate industry. My grandmother was a nurse. All my life, I always said I would NEVER get into the medical field because I just did not think I could handle the emotional aspects of it. I don't like hospitals because I associate bad memories with them (other than giving birth to my daughter in a hospital). I always thought I'd be sad working with sick/dying patients everyday.
With the real estate industry in the toilet, I decided that it's time I start looking into another career. I mentioned to a nurse friend of mine that I'm looking into going back to school and starting over in a new career. I also mentioned the fact that I've always felt that I needed to be in a career where I could help people somehow. I just could never figure out in what capacity, but it's almost as if I felt that it was my purpose in life. My friend suggested nursing. I immediately gave her the spiel I have been giving everyone since high school : There's no way I could ever be a nurse because I'd be sad everyday.Nope -- not doing it !!!
She proceeded to tell me that you learn to deal with it in time. She went on to mention that there are so many opportunities in the nursing field including working for insurance companies, law firms or working in a lab, etc ... She said I didn't necessarily have to work in a hospital. She really piqued my interest and I actually found myself getting excited at the idea !!!
What interested me were : 1) can get just an AA 2) good pay 3) flexible hours 4) helping people 5) varied job opportunites 6) pretty good job security -- a LOT better than the real estate industry and 7) can pick up and move to another state and still find a job (not something I can do so easily in my current line of work). I'm particularly excited at the thought of maybe working as a L & D nurse or in the nursery or NICU. I realize that I would need further training for those specialties, but the thought of working in one of those units actually excites me.
But, if I do this, I want to be sure I'm doing it for the right reasons. I guess I question whether or not this is the right path for me to go down when -- as I mentioned -- I have ALWAYS refused to even entertain the idea of being a nurse.
As far as qualities that I think would help me in the job, I like jobs that keep me BUSY and are fast-paced. During stressful events, I am a very take-charge sort of person. But, for the most part, I am pretty mellow.
Did most of you know from an early age that you wanted to be a nurse?
How did you know it was the right job for you ?
How do you deal with the sad events you witness at work every day ?
Were any of you particularly paranoid about getting sick or maybe contracting a disease through work? I'm just one of those people who has always been so paranoid about that kind of stuff.
Are there a lot of older nurses that work the floor ? By the time I graduate, I will be in my early 40's. I'm worried about later, when I am in my 50's. I worry that I may not be able to physically handle the job.
I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks in advance!
Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
I am 38 and just now considering nursing as a second career after 18 years in the real estate industry. My grandmother was a nurse. All my life, I always said I would NEVER get into the medical field because I just did not think I could handle the emotional aspects of it. I don't like hospitals because I associate bad memories with them (other than giving birth to my daughter in a hospital). I always thought I'd be sad working with sick/dying patients everyday.
With the real estate industry in the toilet, I decided that it's time I start looking into another career. I mentioned to a nurse friend of mine that I'm looking into going back to school and starting over in a new career. I also mentioned the fact that I've always felt that I needed to be in a career where I could help people somehow. I just could never figure out in what capacity, but it's almost as if I felt that it was my purpose in life. My friend suggested nursing. I immediately gave her the spiel I have been giving everyone since high school : There's no way I could ever be a nurse because I'd be sad everyday.Nope -- not doing it !!!
She proceeded to tell me that you learn to deal with it in time. She went on to mention that there are so many opportunities in the nursing field including working for insurance companies, law firms or working in a lab, etc ... She said I didn't necessarily have to work in a hospital. She really piqued my interest and I actually found myself getting excited at the idea !!!
What interested me were : 1) can get just an AA 2) good pay 3) flexible hours 4) helping people 5) varied job opportunites 6) pretty good job security -- a LOT better than the real estate industry and 7) can pick up and move to another state and still find a job (not something I can do so easily in my current line of work). I'm particularly excited at the thought of maybe working as a L & D nurse or in the nursery or NICU. I realize that I would need further training for those specialties, but the thought of working in one of those units actually excites me.
But, if I do this, I want to be sure I'm doing it for the right reasons. I guess I question whether or not this is the right path for me to go down when -- as I mentioned -- I have ALWAYS refused to even entertain the idea of being a nurse.
As far as qualities that I think would help me in the job, I like jobs that keep me BUSY and are fast-paced. During stressful events, I am a very take-charge sort of person. But, for the most part, I am pretty mellow.
Did most of you know from an early age that you wanted to be a nurse?
How did you know it was the right job for you ?
How do you deal with the sad events you witness at work every day ?
Were any of you particularly paranoid about getting sick or maybe contracting a disease through work? I'm just one of those people who has always been so paranoid about that kind of stuff.
Are there a lot of older nurses that work the floor ? By the time I graduate, I will be in my early 40's. I'm worried about later, when I am in my 50's. I worry that I may not be able to physically handle the job.
I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks in advance!
Not trying to be a downer, but please realize a few things:
1. You can't be afraid to be in a hospital. You are going to be exposed to some not so nice things. Poop. Pee. Puke. Blood. Diseases. H1N1. HIV. HEPATIS. Necrotizing Strep A. Will you be ready for that??
EVEN in nursing school, and no, you can't call the "real" nurse when you're the one heavy duty in the middle and try to get away from it. What if you were assigned that patient?
2. If you are already thinking about working for insurance companies and what-not, most of those companies look for people with EXPERIENCE, and NOT JUST nursing school. I know many of my former colleagues who do work for them, but they have several years in an intensive care setting, including both adult and NICU.
3. You're never too old to start nursing school, but go into it being VERY CLEAR about YOUR expectations and VERY CLEAR about THEIR expectations. It becomes very, very obvious to patients when a nurses hates what she does.
4. Emotional situations comes with the medical field. It is it's own movie, own drama, own sad song. THAT'S reality. You must ensure that you have dealt with your own feelings of death, and be clear on how to establish boundaries so that you don't burn out.
That's it. I think it's a great opportunity for you and with your age, you bring maturity and experiences a lot of the younger kids do not. Don't put on the rosy glasses--that's all I am saying.
NO you are not crazy! My husband and I have been working in a casino for the past ten years as Black Jack dealers and Floor Supervisors. We are the same as you, getting ready to start nursing school. I am 35 and my husband is 41! All of the people that we have met through this site that will be attending school with us are our age or older!
Don't let your age stop you from doing anything! You are still young!
I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, but never was able to get there for different reasons. I went to LPN school at age 42 and I am not 46 and should have my RN degree in December. I plan on continuing on to get my BSN.
I'll be 51 the month I graduate and I can hardly wait to start a nursing career! I have always wanted to be a nurse and for all the right reasons. My kids are in college and I am too! I don't think your crazy at all.
There are lots of pros and cons to nursing. I made the decision at 18. It took me awhile to complete my courses...life and a little thing called maturity. I took time off and worked as a CNA in a LTC (nursing home) for over a year also as a "Kelly Girl" .. a home CNA. According to my Father he was floored that I chose nursing. He thought writing was my strong point. Hmmm. It was teaching or nursing. In the early '80s teachers were being laid off. So nursing it was. I rationalized that nurses would have a job even in war or famine. I thought a woman should be able to support herself and family "just in case." "Just in case" situations come around more often than one would like. Nursing has never let me down and I now consider it a calling, my vocation.
Buckets of tears, angst and some laughs (Just so you know, don't wear a pair of felt antlers and red nose into your patients room on Christmas.... or feed your Hindu pt beef....it is okay to tell the Dr. he needs to pull up his scrubs.. just don't laugh at his pink panther boxers.... or the pink panther...)
During school you will learn about every disorder, disease, syndrome, malady. Before you turn the page you will have a scourge that will kill you before dinner. Normal and funny once you get over it. Just wash your hands before you eat! Those pages are contagious!
I took time off school because I was afraid I couldn't handle seeing someone die. A DEAD body! As a home care CNA that fear was quickly put to rest.... I survived! My fear was more scary that the actual event. I remember every moment and it has been 25 years. This dear man was a blessing up to the minute he passed. I am grateful.
If we think hard enough we can talk ourselves out of anything. Don't worry about age it happens to all of us. You will be the same age whether you go to school or not :). When I was an undergrad one of my classmates was a 72 year old stout great-grandmother who wore polyester skirts, and lace up shoes with rolled kneehighs. She told me to always gargle with Listerine and peroxide "an yous won' git sick" she graduated cum laude and turned around for her masters the following year. I declined the Listerine but her joy and accomplishments are engraved in my mind.
Yes, nursing is tiring, shift work, illness, varicose veins,"difficult" people and weekends, holidays.
In your present profession you already work weekends, have to handle "difficult". A realator has t be service oriented. Lots of people work holidays... police, fire, the kid at the gas station. You won't work every holiday (unions do help with that). You will make a difference. It's even fun to work your birthday... esp when you are placing a newborn into his mother's arms.
Nursing will require effort. Something is tugging at your heart... give it a shot. No pun intended....
Oh, and regarding my Dad thinking I should write? Well, I had to have something to write about. I was blessed enough to add my name to the "published author" list last month. I hope Dad reads my story in heaven.
I graduated from Nursing School at 39, and I am now 42 and pursuing my BSN.
I had known I wanted to be a nurse in my 30's, but never had the guts or time to go back to school. I was the mom of 2 and my husband owned a business. I decided to go back to school and take my CNA courses and work as a CNA while finishing pre-reqs for the ADN program. When I was 2 courses away and in my A&P class I ended up getting pregnant and losing the baby and my grandmother passed also. I ended up getting pregnant again with my now 5 1/2 year old son, but I was on bed rest for most of my pregnancy and never ever went back to take my final exam (I had one academic year and never was able to return) It was then that my husband sold his business, and I was really wanting to finish my nursing program. The RN would take a long time, because now I had to take 3 more pre-reqs and each was a pre-req to the next, so it literally would have taken me 3 semesters, or 1.5 years to complete them. So.....I looked into LVN. I applied to a program before my son even turned 1. I started the program when he was just 16 months old and I graduated 16 months later. I have no been working as an LVN for 2.5 years and am pursuing my BSN through a distance learning program. RN is still my goal, and I will get there!
I don't feel it's too late to start. If I did it with a husband out of work, 3 kids and working part time on the weekends as a CNA, you can. As for dealing with all the stuff it's really not that bad. I work on a busy Surgical floor. Sure people are nauseated and vomit from time to time, or I have to do bed pans and diapers, but literally, it's not that bad at all. All that stuff is nothing compared to the good feeling you get from helping someone out. I just love what I do!
If you can, try working as a CNA for a bit (it's a requirement for the LPN program I am looking at anyways). I get exposed to poop, pee, vomit, bad behavior, etc... daily. And I'm surviving! Someone told me it's the best and worst job, and I agree. It's changed my outlook on death (for adults, anyways). It's hard to know how you'll feel about all these things until you are doing them-CNA work is a great way to test the waters. Most CNA's at my LTC are considering or are in nursing school.
As a new CNA, I work weekends and holidays, but it's OK-that way I am not scrambling for babysitting for my kids, and I get paid more (today I got $13.50/hour plus $50 b/c it's the 4th and a weekend, and I was out in time to take a nap before a bbq and fireworks).
I know plenty of women (single mothers) who chose nursing b/c they needed a good stable job to support themselves and their children. Nothing wrong with that-they are great nurses. Not everyone has the warm fuzzy "calling" feeling at first.
Btw, I'm 36 and will be starting prereqs this fall. I already have a degree in biology, a MS in env. science. I worked in this field full time for about 4-5 years and then we moved to a rural area. There are no real jobs (with salaries, benefits, etc...) in my area. I got tired of finding part time jobs for $10/hour with no real future. Nursing, on the other hand, is always in demand, even here. I see nothing wrong with wanting to pursue a career where I'll make decent money and have job stability. I think I'm proving myself, by working as a CNA... I think having some "life experience" as an older student is great, and having been a stay at home mother for 6 years... the physical work and poop doesn't bother me in the least. The girl who trained me commented on how I seemed to be used to dressing people, etc... it was funny because it's true.
Good luck! I know several CNA's who are in their late 30's/early 40's who are considering school. Don't let your age stop you.
Specializes in Acute rehab/geriatrics/cardiac rehab.
Nope you are not crazy. I started nursing school at age 43, graduated with the BSN at age 45 and actually discovered that I'd passed the boards to be a Registered Nurse exactly 5 years ago today (July 4, 2004). After a year of working in a hospital and missing many holidays, weekends (I worked every other weekend) I began school part time while continuing to work (eventually having to cut back on my hours due to clinicals, etc.) and graduated in about 2 and 1/2 years with a Masters as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the age of 48 (closer to 49). Been working for one year as an NP....
Because of having no experience, no family who are health care workers and finding it difficult to cope with people in pain I just hadn't ever considered the field. Then last year after having had experience in teaching, retail and admin and enjoying parts of those careers I realised I wanted something a lot less focussed on one aspect. RN's have high patient turnover, they teach, they chart and more! It turns out all those skills I gained in part-time work while raising my kids were just right!
BUT ...
There was still the "Can I handle people in pain?" question. (I don't really have issues with body gunk). So I started my study (2 weeks after my 38th birthday) and have gained work as a nursing assistant in a nursing home. And yes, it is hard. No question, but it's worthwhile and I can grasp that I will get the hang of it. I also feel better about the type of work I'm doing which helps!
So go for it! If it feels like something you can spend several years or even the rest of your life doing, then you'll regret it if you let the opportunity pass. At least that's what I decided.
I'm not a nurse--yet. But I'm presently working on my BSN. I'm 36. Two kids. Husband who works a lot. Mortgage. Private school. Quit a perfectly good job to pursue something worthwhile, even though I won't get paid as much.
Why?
Because I came from the corporate world. And I, personally, think nursing will be a lot LESS bloody. And with a lot less poo and pee. At least with nursing, you are making a difference, and, although it's sometimes a thankless job, it's not ALWAYS a thankless job, as in the corporate way of life.
God bless ya for having the courage to change your life!
PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN
2,211 Posts
Not trying to be a downer, but please realize a few things:
1. You can't be afraid to be in a hospital. You are going to be exposed to some not so nice things. Poop. Pee. Puke. Blood. Diseases. H1N1. HIV. HEPATIS. Necrotizing Strep A. Will you be ready for that??
EVEN in nursing school, and no, you can't call the "real" nurse when you're the one heavy duty in the middle and try to get away from it. What if you were assigned that patient?
2. If you are already thinking about working for insurance companies and what-not, most of those companies look for people with EXPERIENCE, and NOT JUST nursing school. I know many of my former colleagues who do work for them, but they have several years in an intensive care setting, including both adult and NICU.
3. You're never too old to start nursing school, but go into it being VERY CLEAR about YOUR expectations and VERY CLEAR about THEIR expectations. It becomes very, very obvious to patients when a nurses hates what she does.
4. Emotional situations comes with the medical field. It is it's own movie, own drama, own sad song. THAT'S reality. You must ensure that you have dealt with your own feelings of death, and be clear on how to establish boundaries so that you don't burn out.
That's it. I think it's a great opportunity for you and with your age, you bring maturity and experiences a lot of the younger kids do not. Don't put on the rosy glasses--that's all I am saying.
Good Luck!