Becoming a nurse at 40?

[corinda]

By the time I complete the ABSN program to which I am applying, I will be 40 (that is if I get accepted for the 2012 start). Althought I've read many threads on changing careers to nursing and older people going into nursing, I'm still a little apprehesive about the amount of time I will have to actually practice nursing. I've met older nurses that see as youthful as some of the younger nurses, but I've also experienced the opposite first hand. My mom is 58 and has been a nurse for 36 years, but her health is failing as a result of wear and tear on her body from many years of nursing. Will that happen to me?

I would like to hear from some older nurses who recently got in nursing (or anyone who has an opinion on the matter). What helped you to be comfortable with your decision? What advice could you offer me? Also, do any of you have small children? How did they influence your decision to become a nurse?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

1. you'll be forty anyway. why not have the degree you want?

2. the oldest student nurse i ever had was 66. she had been married to an abusive man who for forty years told her she was stupid and worthless and wouldn't let her go to school. so when the old sob (and i don't mean "short of breath") died, she took the insurance money and went to nursing school. she had s real advantage over the 18-year-old chickies who were her classmates, because unlike them she had life experience and knew how to empathize with her patients. i don't know if she's still working but she was great.

3. it's good for your kids to see you work hard for something you want and that will benefit your family. so many kids think adults can do anything they want-- we know it's not true but having them see you doing homework and writing papers is a good example.

good luck!!

[♑ Capricorn ♑]

will be 40 when i graduate so i'm right there with ya corinda. :)

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I'll be 44 when I graduate in a little over a year. My kid is 12yo.

My kid knows not to complain about homework/school, because he sees me going to work AND going to school AND driving him all over the state to hockey practices/games.

My kid sees the size of my textbooks and understands that college/university is NOTHING like "kid-school" and there's a reason he needs to learn to apply himself NOW, while he's still a kid, so it's easier for him in college.

My kid also sees that if you want something, you have to be prepared to WORK for it. I want a job that only requires me to go in to work 3x/week. I want a job that pays a living wage. I want a job with some flexibility so I can get my kid to hockey practices/games out of town, as well as enough money to pay for that expensive sport. I want a job that provides my family with health care. I want a job that I can do no matter where in the country I live. Nobody's going to hand me a job like that on a silver platter -- I'm going to have to EARN it. If my kid wants to have a nice house and car and vacations and all that jazz, he knows he's going to have to pay his dues as well.

[Marmite75]

I will be 39 when I graduate from the ADN program, 40/41 when I (hopefully) get my BSN. Initially, I was self-conscious about my age but as I progressed through my pre-reqs I realized my age and life experience were an advantage to me: I am far better at time management than I was before I had kids (4, and 8 years), I am far more organized and put together and I can face challenges without freaking out. I think being a mature student is an asset!

Cheers!

[_firefly, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I will also be 40 when I graduate with my BSN. I just remind myself that life is a journey and not a destination.

[westlife1]

For those of you with kids (mine are 5 and 8 and I am applying for Fall 2018 fast track program) - how did you manage full-time school and clinical practice? Did you have family help? Before and after school care? How did you get everything done for your kids - school plays, dance/soccer, all the "extra" bits? I am more overwhelmed by the idea of dealing with the rest of "life" than the actualy learning/studying/going back to school at 40. I have a BCom and my own business and only realize now at 39 that I am ready to do nursing and have a deeper purpose than selling, writing, etc.