Ok, so I am enrolled at a 4 year college, but I am currently taking a couple of prerequisites for the BSN program at my local community college. It seems as though EVERYONE wants to be a nurse, many of the students are in their late 20s and some already have a bachelor's degree. I can't help but feel exasperated. I feel as though I am competing with EVERYONE, and I feel that I am at a disadvantage because some of the older students already have a bachelor's degree.
I keep hearing how there is a nursing shortage, and I can't help but feel that this information is inaccurate. EVERYONE wants to be a nurse. Nursing schools are facing gluts of applicants, many of them are there just to get a job. I feel like it isn't fair for an 18 year old to have to compete with both her generation AND older people who already have college degrees and years of work experience on their resume.
Hey, don't gripe about the older students. You might find that your career and place of employment have been eliminated someday. The days of one long-term career, financial security, and "one round of education makes you set for life" are gone. The global financial system is so corrupted that I think we can all look forward to boob-bust and frequent financial panics, like from the 1800s and early 1900s USA history.
Some of us older students return with distinct advantages: One or more college degrees, possibly including MBAs, science, and engineering, and years of work experience in demanding professions, so we already know something about pharma, chemistry, med calcs, OHSA safety and health regulations, best practices, how to read or document SOPs and work process documents, and how to supervise or accept supervision. Starting over, yes, but with many transferable skills, research skills, and self-teaching skills that a recent high school grad just doesn't have the faintest knowledge of.
Some of us have other advantages, too: Money in the bank, stable source of income for housing, tuition, and other expenses; no kids; no debts; reliable transpiration; NO interference from family life or boyfriend; and no nagging little voice in the head saying "I want a baby and a family life. NOW." Able to devote all of our time to thoroughly immersing ourselves in this new career, and working as many hours in it as we please and can obtain. Like it or not, schools need students who can pay that tuition. Given a choice between one with the cash in hand, and one with nothing except an application for a grant or a loan, some of those schools will pick the cash buyer.
I am thankful that nursing is less discriminating against those age 40 & up. IT and pharmaceutical sales want all their people out the door before age 40, to be replaced by trim and youthful prettyboys and prettygirls who fit the corporation's "image" and are not in that grinding middle-aged drag of the Sandwich Generation: Paying for kid's college and also taking care of aged parents, while trying to hold a down a job.
Ah, yes, the older students. The schools are darned glad to get some of us us uncomplicated people, lol.
If you were working on pre-reqs for Criminal Justice or (insert here) or any other career, I'm sure it would feel much the same way. You are working on nursing pre-reqs so of course it is going to seem like everyone and their mother wants to do nursing.
It's much like buying a new car. You never notice that particular car on the road until you drive one. Then it seems as though everyone has your same car.
As far as age discrimination goes, I know in my program, there is none. We work off a points system. No interview, and no past experience will help you. Just your grades and test scores.
Yes, sometimes I feel the same way. I could have written the same post except that I am at a community college and am 20 years older than you.
My school selects based off of GPA but after that(if there is a tie), they will select the person with more college credits. So many people already have degrees and I am just trying to find a way to scrape out a living. It ticks me off sometimes that everyone is double-triple dipping the labor market with multiple degrees.
Pretty soon having an alternate college degree before you begin the nursing program is going to be the norm and that will just add to the roadblocks into acceptance in the nursing program.
700 people applied to the 200 seat nursing program this year and the # of applicants grows every year.
iluvpatho, you are right on the money. When I first started pre-req's they were offering sign on bonus all over the place around here. ( I planned on using that money to pay off student loans! + the NWLB program. Totally screwed over with both of those now) The job market is changing much faster than it takes to get any degree these days. You cant even predict what jobs will be in demand anymore. No career path is a safe bet for employment anymore.
They make it very hard to even be accepted into NS so it's more like only the strong survive and that doesn't matter what age you are. People like me with kids and spouses, houses and adult responsibilities have to work even harder to balance school and work and home. Concentrate on you and you will prosper.
I agree I have two kids, a husband, two dogs, and go to school. It's a huge struggle to be a good student, good mother, and good wife. So I guess the strong survive is definately true. I also think everyone always has something to say discouraging or not its better not listen to others and just work hard to do your best. I also think its a shame that its made students so competitive, we're all chasing the same dream so I think its better to be supportive of your classmates-everyone is working hard:yeah:
Anne36 I just read what you wrote and ur right I forgot about that, the bonuses. My friend that graduated in 2003 got a 10,000 dollar one! Well they have the upper hand, I've thought about changing my major but there just isn't anything else I like so I'll find out about nursing school in September and if I don't get in then I will apply again to start in the Spring and if I don't get in the second time then I am changing majors.
I'm 22. I have already done a two year stint in community college (dual enrollment HS/CC) where I basically squeezed by in the easy-A classes, and dropped the ones that required more than 10 pages of reading per week and/or included anything other than multiple choice questions on tests.
After HS graduation, I went and got a job where I made a lot of money, did a lot of partying , and along those lines managed to smarten up enough to buy a house instead of shares in Anheuser-Busch :beer:. I got married, DH and I rented the house (upside down, of course - rent only covers the mortgage, not taxes and insurance), and moved six states away for school. Once I got here, I ended up losing said job, figured it was God's (or someone's) will and that I needed to focus 100% on school. Rest assured, since the state is no longer footing the tuition bill, my studies will be much more important to me!
Clearly, everyone's situation is going to be different. Prior work experience can give you an edge in interviews. Prior healthcare experience can give you an edge in clincials. Prior degrees can be beneficial, or for some (no offense meant to anyone here) they can simply be an item of nostalgia reminding one of a very expensive four years (a good friend of mine has a Religion degree from Smith (or one of those colleges) - she says it was the biggest waste of money ever, LOL).
Younger students face issues, depending on the situation, such as how to branch out from parents and try to differentiate themselves from other students, especially since they are (lets be honest here) in competition - and it the competitors vary quite a bit. Then you have older students who (as a PP mentioned) may have found their stable career and place of employment suddenly nonexistent (literally). There will be single students, and married students. There will be students with children and other responsibilities - and prereqs will weed out those who can't make it.
The young students - you guys have it pretty good - no major life stresses. My husband and I (again, 22 and 26 - still fairly young, I know) have a mortgage and house to deal with 1600 miles away, a property tax evaluation that shamelessly reminds us every year that our house isn't worth more than a pot to pee in. We also have credit cards, two vehicles (almost paid off, YAY!) financial constraints from both of us not working and being in school, and to top that all off, we have a marriage that we're keeping afloat. One thing that has helped us, I think, is that we do not want children until we are both done with school (quite a while as I plan on going to grad school).
Still - I think all of us have our place in pre-reqs and in NS - the young students, the older students (40s, 50s), the single moms and dads, the young married students. All of us face different hardships and I think in the end that the only competitive edge one student may have over another is their desire to become a . You have to want this. Sometimes we might :grn: but the important thing to remember is just :hhmth: if off, try to be your own :anpom: and in the end, you'll feel like :nmbrn: when you are standing on the stage at graduation :grad:.
I agree with pretty much EVERYONE's ideas on this, though. How often does that happen on these boards? (and sorry for all the smilies! i'm in a good mood!)
Candice you're only 4 years older than me and wow there is such a difference in our lives. I hope everything goes well for you :) i know if that was me I wouldn't be able to handle that stress. At 22 I just plan on graduating nursing school and thats when I'll get a house, married etc etc.
I understand how you're feeling because while I was taking classes at community college, there were mostly older students and I basically got talked to like I was a child and there was zero respect. I started to think like you - that I shouldn't have to compete with them. Eventually I learned that it's still better to work WITH your classmates rather than compete. It's hard to think forward to when we'll all be fighting for jobs, but right now you have to survive school, and it's nice to at least have other people to complain to who understand what you're going through - no matter what age they are!
When I started at community college, I was way younger than everyone, but now I'm starting a BSN program at a university and I'll be a few years older than my classmates - you just can't let it affect what you're doing!
I understand how you're feeling because while I was taking classes at community college, there were mostly older students and I basically got talked to like I was a child and there was zero respect.
I'm really sorry you were treated that way. I found that when I took night and weekend classes, I was with people my age but day classes were mostly people in their teens or early 20s. I feel like I got along great with the younger generation (as well as the older one). I never felt uncomfortable nor do I feel like the younger people where either.
We're all in the same boat when taking classes together. There is no reason to look down upon people, especially for their age. That goes both ways, of course. :)
Well think of it this way.... just b/c a lot of people want to go to nursing school doesnt not mean they are going to do it and make it through. Just try to do YOUR very best and dont worry about the competition. Thats what I do. I am actually one of those people you mentioned earlier. I am 29 yrs old, have a Bachelors degree,been out in the work force and now im coming back for nursing. Eventually I would like to get into a CRNA program. I dont think my experience in the work force will give me much of an advantage over anyone younger. The only advantage that older people have over SOME younger people is self displine and maturity. I've been through college once and developed good studying habits. There are times in Life were its an unfair competiton and there are times where it feels like a unfair competition but thats the way life is and sadly we just have to get used to that lol.
, and along those lines managed to smarten up enough to buy a house instead of shares in Anheuser-Busch :beer:. I got married, DH and I rented the house (upside down, of course - rent only covers the mortgage, not taxes and insurance), and moved six states away for school. Once I got here, I ended up losing said job, figured it was God's (or someone's) will and that I needed to focus 100% on school. Rest assured, since the state is no longer footing the tuition bill, my studies will be much more important to me!
- and it the competitors vary quite a bit. Then you have older students who (as a PP mentioned) may have found their stable career and place of employment suddenly nonexistent (literally). There will be single students, and married students. There will be students with children and other responsibilities - and prereqs will weed out those who can't make it. 
My husband and I (again, 22 and 26 - still fairly young, I know) have a mortgage and house to deal with 1600 miles away, a property tax evaluation that shamelessly reminds us every year that our house isn't worth more than a pot to pee in. We also have credit cards, two vehicles (almost paid off, YAY!) financial constraints from both of us not working and being in school, and to top that all off, we have a marriage that we're keeping afloat. One thing that has helped us, I think, is that we do not want children until we are both done with school (quite a while as I plan on going to grad school). 
. You have to want this. Sometimes we might :grn: but the important thing to remember is just :hhmth: if off, try to be your own :anpom: and in the end, you'll feel like :nmbrn: when you are standing on the stage at graduation :grad:.
Streamline2010
535 Posts
Hey, don't gripe about the older students. You might find that your career and place of employment have been eliminated someday. The days of one long-term career, financial security, and "one round of education makes you set for life" are gone. The global financial system is so corrupted that I think we can all look forward to boob-bust and frequent financial panics, like from the 1800s and early 1900s USA history.
Some of us older students return with distinct advantages: One or more college degrees, possibly including MBAs, science, and engineering, and years of work experience in demanding professions, so we already know something about pharma, chemistry, med calcs, OHSA safety and health regulations, best practices, how to read or document SOPs and work process documents, and how to supervise or accept supervision. Starting over, yes, but with many transferable skills, research skills, and self-teaching skills that a recent high school grad just doesn't have the faintest knowledge of.
Some of us have other advantages, too: Money in the bank, stable source of income for housing, tuition, and other expenses; no kids; no debts; reliable transpiration; NO interference from family life or boyfriend; and no nagging little voice in the head saying "I want a baby and a family life. NOW." Able to devote all of our time to thoroughly immersing ourselves in this new career, and working as many hours in it as we please and can obtain. Like it or not, schools need students who can pay that tuition. Given a choice between one with the cash in hand, and one with nothing except an application for a grant or a loan, some of those schools will pick the cash buyer.
I am thankful that nursing is less discriminating against those age 40 & up. IT and pharmaceutical sales want all their people out the door before age 40, to be replaced by trim and youthful prettyboys and prettygirls who fit the corporation's "image" and are not in that grinding middle-aged drag of the Sandwich Generation: Paying for kid's college and also taking care of aged parents, while trying to hold a down a job.
Ah, yes, the older students. The schools are darned glad to get some of us us uncomplicated people, lol.