Am I Too Old?

Students Pre-Nursing

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PacoUSA, BSN, RN

3,445 Posts

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

It's not about whether you're too old, it's about whether you're young enough ;) ... And trust me, you are!

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mlopez19

17 Posts

I'm 38, beginning my prerequisites. Now I'm more motivated! There's always doubt especially when you're making a career change. I've been unhappy in my job for the past three years. I've finally decided to leave my teaching career and begin a new path that had many opportunities. Wish me luck!

SummerCher

7 Posts

I sure hope not! I will be 48 when I graduate May 2015 with my BSN. Like some have said, I rather be an RN at 50 than just 50! :yes:

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP

1 Article; 2,594 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

If it doesn't put you in tremendous debt and you think you are physically able to handle it, then why not?

Specializes in Critical Care.
Hello everyone,

I am 48 and just graduated less than a week ago with as B.S. in Public Health. My goal was to finish that degree and apply to a Post Bac Nursing Program, but now I'm worried that I may be too old. I will 49 in a few months which means I would be 50 when I graduate from Nursing school. (that is if I'm accepted right away) This is what I have wanted for so long, but wondering if I should just let it go. What are some of your views on this?

Why did you get a Public Health degree instead of a nursing degree in the first place? What sort of work are you doing now to pay the bills? Isn't there a way to use your current degree for a job? If you want to go back to school it will only increase your student loan debt, unless you are wealthy enough to pay as you go without debt, few of us are in such a lucky place!

I don't understand why you didn't just go for nursing in the first place if that is what you always wanted? What has held you back all these years? If it's what you want and you can afford it go ahead and do it.

I am surprised that so many people go back to school later in life and this simply because I wonder how you pay for school without ending up with dreaded student loan debt and how will you save for retirement when you are paying back student loans?

Personally, the cost of going back to school is too high for me. I don't want to take out more student loans at a time I need to save for retirement. I'm only too aware of how far behind I am in retirement savings. I'm not willing to gamble with my future, perhaps I've just become too conservative over the years. I don't know. But I wonder why nobody ever talks about the economics of changing careers later in life, nobody talks about the student loans and the fact that there will be little time left to pay them off before retirement, let alone save for retirement or does everybody expect to work till they die. It seems the majority of nursing jobs are physically and emotionally demanding and is it realistic to think you can work into your 60-70s? I personally don't think so.

rubato, ASN, RN

1,111 Posts

Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

Like others have said, it depends on what type of shape you are in, how much debt you will go into, and probably how long you plan to work as a nurse.

I will get my BSN at 45, but I can run circles around 20 year olds because of my level of physical fitness. I hope to work for 20 years at the bedside, but we'll see how it goes.

If you feel that you can handle the physical demands, go for it!

Why did you get a Public Health degree instead of a nursing degree in the first place? What sort of work are you doing now to pay the bills? Isn't there a way to use your current degree for a job? If you want to go back to school it will only increase your student loan debt, unless you are wealthy enough to pay as you go without debt, few of us are in such a lucky place!

I don't understand why you didn't just go for nursing in the first place if that is what you always wanted? What has held you back all these years? If it's what you want and you can afford it go ahead and do it.

I am surprised that so many people go back to school later in life and this simply because I wonder how you pay for school without ending up with dreaded student loan debt and how will you save for retirement when you are paying back student loans?

Personally, the cost of going back to school is too high for me. I don't want to take out more student loans at a time I need to save for retirement. I'm only too aware of how far behind I am in retirement savings. I'm not willing to gamble with my future, perhaps I've just become too conservative over the years. I don't know. But I wonder why nobody ever talks about the economics of changing careers later in life, nobody talks about the student loans and the fact that there will be little time left to pay them off before retirement, let alone save for retirement or does everybody expect to work till they die. It seems the majority of nursing jobs are physically and emotionally demanding and is it realistic to think you can work into your 60-70s? I personally don't think so.

Don't want to hijack this thread, but really want to add my 2 cents here.

You don't need to spend a fortune to get your nursing degree and you certainly don't need to go into debt to become a nurse. The least expensive route is almost certainly ADN to RN at your local CC then RN to BSN through any one of a substantial number of fully accredited, state-related universities. My case is not too dissimilar to that of the OP, though I had a BA and MBA prior to nursing school. This took care of the majority of non-nursing prerequisites for both nursing degrees. My total expense, including books (with few exceptions, I always bought the previous edition of the assigned text and rarely paid more than $10) at CC was less than $6,000. Once I passed the NCLEX, I enrolled in the least expensive CCNE and regionally accredited RN to BSN program at a nationally recognized university that I could find. The total was about $8,000 for tuition, fees and books. I worked throughout and so was easily able to pay everything out of pocket. Requires some aggressive time management (read: no social life) but is doable for most working adults. While doing all of this, I've also taken advantage of my employer's 401k plan throughout my working life and put an average of about 20% of my income into retirement savings. Though the 2008 stock market crash wiped out nearly 40% of my savings I got back to even last year and am now building savings again.

So from my perspective, it is perfectly reasonable to expect to be able to handle a physically and emotionally demanding job into your 60's and perhaps even into your 70's. I'm sure that there are many out there who like me, have worked 50, 60 and more hours every week for decades. While I'd like to work less hours as I get older, that part of the equation is what really seems unrealistic.

Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

you can do it, but really think about why type of nursing you plan to do. At 50 being a med-surg nurse will be a serious challenge. You will probably start on nights and med-surg requires a lot of moving patients who often weight 250 pounds +. I know plenty of older med-surg nurses who do fine, but it will be a serious physical challenge. It is up to you. I would say shadow some nurses if you can. Get an idea of what will be required physically to complete the job.

iPink, BSN, RN

1,414 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

With your PH degree, you may be interested in being a public health nurse. That is an area that has always peaked my interest when I was in nursing school. In fact, that's an area I would move into and retire in a few years down the road.

Bedside nursing can be rough physically on anyone no matter the age, so that will be up to you if bedside is where you want to be. I can't image being at the bedside for too long; I'm just there to gain some experience.

Age should never be used as an obstacle when you are pursing your dreams. Good luck to you.

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dt70

464 Posts

While getting 'old', I had enough time to save up cash instead of using loans for school. :)

Baubo516, RN

405 Posts

Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.
I'm 38, beginning my prerequisites. Now I'm more motivated! There's always doubt especially when you're making a career change. I've been unhappy in my job for the past three years. I've finally decided to leave my teaching career and begin a new path that had many opportunities. Wish me luck!

mlopez19 - your story sounds so much like mine! I left teaching to pursue nursing at age 38, as well! I just completed the LPN year of a 2 year program. I will take LPN boards in Jan/Feb, and then one more year of school until I can become an RN! I have truly enjoyed being a student so far and working part time. My husband says I am MUCH less stressed, and I have had more time to spend with him and our extended family. Don't get me wrong - once you start the actual nursing classes, school is hard, and there are periods of intense stress. But for me, the periods of stress are not as bad as the continuous stress I felt as a teacher. I don't even miss having summers and holidays off, as I ALWAYS had work to do at home and worked every summer because we needed the money. Good luck to you! Add me as a friend if you wish!

Peak Curiosity

23 Posts

You are never too old to follow your dreams. Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.

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