Am I Too Old? How Hard Is It To Get In?

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Apr 3, 2008

And how old are you going to be in 6 or 7 years if you DON'T go for it??

Seriously........you've got at least four decades of work left. Might as well do this while you're young, and believe me, at 26 you have your whole life ahead of you.

BTW, this is from someone who was pushing 40 at graduation from an ADN program. :smokin:

bassandtea · Apr 3, 2008

I can´t answer your question about how hard it is to get in, living in Australia...

However, as for too old, I only just started nursing school at 28 and there are people in my course, both male and female who are older than I am (some even have children the same age as me!).

Nursing is a field that seems to attract a number of people as a second (third, fourth...) career and from my limited experience these are the people that are typically better nursing students - they spend the time studying and they have that extra life experience that brings with it greater compassion and understanding. They are also the ones that seem less phased by the dirty side of nursing (I´ve got some lovely younger classmates, but find myself laughing a little at some of the ones that are all ¨ewww, we have to clean up poop¨).

If you want to be a nurse then go for it - at 26 your still young and I can almost guarantee you won´t be the oldest person in your class!

smileyRn96 · Apr 3, 2008

I remember turning 25 and all of a sudden age becomes an issue. I was afraid life would pass me by or that I was taking too long to get educated. As the poster above wrote either way the years will pass and either you will accomplish your goals or you will wish you had. I just turned 36 in March and will start CRNA school in August. I know of at least one person who was 51 when they started CRNA school. People seem to live so much longer and yet we have not readjusted our time lines for major life events such marriage, children and retirement.

Just do it!!! :banghead: Beat into your head the fact that learning is a life time process and continues until you die :saint:

As far as getting into school. If you persist and work hard you will get in.

Good luck

-Smiley

Gambln00 · Apr 3, 2008

Your right I am going to go for it.. I have just been getting alot of grief from friend and all that ya know... being a guy its hard to go into nursing especially since im working in construction now... but i wanna do something that can cactually make a difference in someones life ya know..... so yeah .... ARE YOU GOING THROUGH TO BECOME CRNA?

2bnurselovescoffee · Apr 3, 2008

MY :twocents: IMO you are never to old to pursue something that will make you live your live happier. I'm in my first year of nursing school and we have over 1/3 of the class that are in their 30s and 40s, not to mention we have 4 people in their 50s! Yes it's true. Some of these people have worked in the medical field previously and are just continuing their education, but the 4 50 year olds i speak of weren't even in the medical field to start with. They are all just going back to school to do something they have a true passion for.

As far as starting a family...do you currently have a SO, or are you married? It is so true that life does happen while your making plans. Your life does not start when your done with school, or when you decide it's time to start your life. Your life will happen regardless of if your in school or not. You just need to decide if this is what you want, and YOU ARE NOT TOO OLD! Good luck!

GBID09 · Apr 3, 2008

Dont sweat it. A look around at the students in my program, the far majority are 28-35. Almost all of us have families but we found a way to make it in and be successful in the program. If you were like me, you could probably think of a thousand different reasons why you wouldnt get in and why you shouldnt apply. I just had to redirect that mental energy into thinks like crafting the perfect application. I feel confident in saying, when you do apply and get in, you wont be the oldest in the class and you wont be the only one with kids. It is a long road but worth it. Good Luck

Gambln00 · Apr 4, 2008

I have made up mind an dI am definately going for it..... I appreciate all the advice and support this website is awesome I would of talked myself out of it if it wasnt for this site.... Now my question is whats the best road to take? I have no college credit can I take pre req then get into a bsn program without being a nurse? then best route to become crna? Thanks

gasmaster · Apr 4, 2008

I will be 43 when I start my CRNA program this fall. Believe me, I'm not old! I know when you're in your 20's it may seem so, but I don't feel much different from then. Go for it and don't worry about age!

CRNA2BKY · Apr 5, 2008

I'm 41, and I'm changing career to go into nursing and become a CRNA. I'm just finishing up an accelerated BSN program, and I have already been hired into an ICU, so don't worry about your age at all. You will need to get your BSN. Check around at schools that you would like to go to, and see what they require for admissions into their BSN program. Then go see one of their program directors and get as much information about what the best way to get into their program is. Once completing the BSN program, you will need to get a year or two of ICU experience, take the GRE, and then you can think about applying to nurse anesthetist programs. Hope this helps, and good luck with everything.

droopy1592 · Apr 5, 2008

I just turned 31 and i'm about to graduate nursing school... by the time i get out of CRNA school I'll be 35-36 or more

Gambln00 · Apr 5, 2008

thats about when i will be done... how was it?