Am I too old to go to nursing school and into a nursing career?

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Thinking about going into the nursing profession with no nursing credentials. Have desgrees in chemistry, been in industry, teaching, retail most recently. what are the facts? realistic for me to do this? cost? i'm 58 yo. anyone else enter nursing field at that time of life?

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
...given that how our nursing schools suffer impaction ... the younger more ample in years to begin to toil in nursing to me is the better investment. we cannot afford at this time to dally with some who have little time left to work to solve the nursing shortage. for the shortage will remain acute if the ebb is greater than the flow.

i would rather get ten years of work from someone who's an excellent nurse than thirty years from someone who's not. i say, admit the best candidates regardless of age. for that matter, i also believe that admissions lotteries and waiting lists should be abolished. admit the best candidates, period!

i also believe that folks with ample experience in fields outside of nursing will bring a fresh perspective that will help improve the nursing field and the health care industry in general.

i would also point out that the veracity of the "nursing shortage" claim is a matter of some debate.

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The interesting thing about this thread is the OP has never checked back in.

There are many things that should be considered. People say admit the best candidate. Who defines best? Are we talking academic excellence or someone who finished high school and has worked and decided on a career in nursing. We see very academically bright student nurses who are lacking in people skills and common sense (our local nursing schools admit by highest marks).

Part of my reasoning is people are selfish, my generation in particular. We think we are "entitled" to what we want, when we want it. Universities in Canada are publicly funded, so a student only pays a fraction of what their education costs. I don't think my tax dollars should be spent on a four year degree in nursing for someone who is in their late 50's when starting the course.

I work with students who are "following their dream" and are older than me. They are living in a world of their own. They don't want to do floor nursing. They see themselves as unit managers, public health nurses, educators. They think they will get that BScN, pass the CRNE, and get the job they want.

Well, the facts of life up here are, nurses are unionized. Seniority plays a big part in who gets what job. I'm yet to meet a unit manager with less than 20 years experience in an acute care setting, newer nurses will find them in LTC but usually with around five years experience. Our ICUs will hire newer grads but I don't see very many nurses over 50 up there either. I work with nurses with 20+ years of service who are desparately trying to get off the floor and they don't have enough seniority to wind up in out-patient clinics, the day surgery departments, and every hospital can only use so many nurse managers or wound care specialists.

I'm a realist. I work on the floor. I see how worn out at the end of a shift myself and my co-workers are.

It's wonderful to be a new nurse full of idealism but reality is nursing is hard, physical work. Students drop out during clinicals because they don't understand how physically demanding it is. We can only blame the entertainment industry for that (which is another rant and will come another day)

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
People say admit the best candidate. Who defines best?

The admissions committee at each individual school.

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Very droll

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Specializes in CCRN-CMC-CSC: CTICU, MICU, SICU, TRAUMA.

How do we know if the OP has checked back in... she may have been reading every post and not commented...

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The only time they have logged in using their user name was the day they posted. Most posters have comments to make to their request.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

We had a student who was 56 in my class in '86. Too old ?-it depends on how old a 58 you are. I'm 49 and can't wait to retire. my bones hurt all the time and I can't keep up with a busy assignment like I used to. In addition I'm not quite as smart as I once was- I can't imagine doing undergraduate work now. On the otherhand one of the chief complaints I have heard about nursing is that the pay scale maxes out so earily in a career. I'm OK with that. Compaired to other professions you won't have to spent 30yrs working your way to a decent wage. With your science background I don't think you will have too much trouble with the course work. All-in all--go for it! I would love to have a few more peers in my age group. Most of the people I work with see Jimmy Carter is a history lesson. It would be nice to work with someone who knows Alices Restaraunt isn't the title of a sit. com.

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I have heard of plenty of "younger generation" nursing students who partied their way through school, did not have the maturity to accept the responsibilities of the profession... have not interviewed yet for positions because their TSH levels will show up in their employment tox screens and guess what, have recently failed the NCLEX.

TSH? Thyroid Stimulating Hormone?

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Specializes in CCRN-CMC-CSC: CTICU, MICU, SICU, TRAUMA.
TSH? Thyroid Stimulating Hormone?

Thank you thank you thank you... my mistake/by bad. I meant THC (as in 9-carboxy-THC), a metabolite of the primary pharmacologically active compound of marijuana. This, as I'm sure you know (if I posted correctly the first time) is part of most routine toxicology panels for drug screening.

Whereas there is TSH involvement in marijuana use... I had recently read a study on endocrine effects of marijuana and impact on the thyroid hormone axis as well as others, that is not what I meant in my original posting...but is what I had "on the brain" while I was on my roll typing away.

Thanks for the heads-up.

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Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

My sister-in-law got her nursing license at age 60, which fulfilled a lifelong dream of hers and she is still soooo happy with nursing she bubbles over with enthusiasm when I speak with her (after about 4 yrs of nursing.) She was treasured in her class!

Go for it!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

novicetoexpert, ;););)

you write so very well and represent yourself very well on web paper. i respect your arguments! welcome to allnurses.com! ! ! you are a fine addition to this motley bunch! ! ! note to you. i saw the tsh blunder, but since you write so very well thought not to criticize it! god forbid, i've also made grammatical, technical, and spelling, etc etc errors ;-)

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Specializes in CCRN-CMC-CSC: CTICU, MICU, SICU, TRAUMA.
novicetoexpert, ;););)

you write so very well and represent yourself very well on web paper. i respect your arguments! welcome to allnurses.com! ! ! you are a fine addition to this motley bunch! ! ! note to you. i saw the tsh blunder, but since you write so very well thought not to criticize it! god forbid, i've also made grammatical, technical, and spelling, etc etc errors ;-)

thanks, telerner. like i said... i make mistakes and plenty of them i am sure... i more than appreciate when they are pointed out to me. i hope i'll take ownership of them non-defensively...all i want is to be be a better nurse with everyday.

i really appreciate the welcome and the compliments. in re-reading my own posts i have seen a couple of other typos as well, spelling-wise... and i proofread too, so it's even worse, haha!

i'm curious though as to why nobody has run with the mrsa issue yet as relayed in by blog as i see it as so egregious.

anyway, you made my day... thank you for the kind words.

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