I wanted to be a nurse since I was a young teenager. I married at 19 and had 6 children by the time I was 24. At the young age of 52 I decided to go for that dream of being a nurse. Is this realistic or did I wait to long to start a new career.
When I was a teenager I visited a home for special needs children and after seeing the care that these children needed, I knew that I wanted to be a nurse someday. When I was nineteen I was married. By the time I was twenty-four I had six children. I was a stay at home mom until my youngest child started school. Then I attended a CNA class at a local nursing home. I truly enjoyed the work that I did at the nursing home while attending classes. Just before I finished the class we found out that our daughter of 18 months had cancer.
The Decision...
I never went back to finish the CNA classes and it was not until after my mom passed away that I started full time work. I worked in the paint department of a local manufacturing plant for 23 years until quitting this April to continue in the nursing program at Baker College. This was a huge decision that I had to make since working and going to classes would no longer be possible. I had worked full time while taking classes for two years. Once I made it into the nursing program it would take up more time than the company could work with, and therefore they ask me to quit my job.
Why?
I had thought about the reasons I had decided to go forward with a nursing career, such as my five year old granddaughter who has PWS and has been trached since she was 6 months old. She is on a home ventilator when she is sleeping and is fed through a G-tube. She has been my inspiration to go to college and get a nursing degree. I would love to be the nurse who goes to school with her each day. Yes I needed to continue with my degree and therefore consented to quitting my job.
Now....
I have now been in the nursing program for two quarters. I passed the classes in the first quarter just fine. This second quarter was more difficult and although I passed the med/surg class and clinicals, I did not pass the pharmacology class. I needed an 84 to pass and I only had an 80. I will need to retake this class again in the spring when it is offered to continue in the nursing program.
Clinicals...
I often wonder if I waited to long to start a nursing career. By the time I graduate I will be 57 years old. Then I think about clinicals from the previous two quarters and remember the feelings I had when a patient would thank me for just listening to them for a while or when my instructor would tell me how I rocked the clinical part of the class. I want to be that nurse the every patient remembers. I want that feeling at the end of the day that I have made a difference, no matter how big or small, in the life of a patient.
So...
Did I wait to long? Possibly but I like to think that with hard work and dedication that I will make it to the end and have that Bachelor's degree in nursing. By being older I think that I will need to work extra hard to remember all of the information I need. I also have the advantage of life experiences on my side. We lost a daughter to cancer at the tender age of 3. I lost my mother when she was only 54. I cared for both of them at home until they passed away. These are experiences that can help me relate to certain patients. This is a knowledge that really can not be taught but felt from experience.
And When I Graduate...
When I graduate in 2017 and pass the NCLEX to receive my RN license, I will not be too old but I will be an older nurse who has compassion and knowledge on my side to begin my new career.
The true answer to my question is NO I did not wait to long.
Nursing is hard on any aged persons body but the older you are the harder it will be and this isn't to knock her from pursuing it, it is just the blunt honest truth. Most of the older nurses I work with can barely keep up and they are fit. All things must be considered, like the environment in which you work, the pace etc. I am saying what I am saying because I am a realist. If you are on your feet for 12 hours with a 30 min break that you barely get and hardly any other breaks it will take its toll on you over time.
I'm starting from scratch at 45. I mean 9 prerequisites before I can apply to WGU for my BSN. My SIL started at 42 and finished with her BSN two years ago at 52. A good friend of mine who is 43 with 2 toddlers has 4 prerequisites before she can apply to WGU. I have another friend who got her BSN in her late 40s and waited until 6 mos ago to get a job as an RN- she's in her early 50s (won't be honest with her age lol).
so far, in my CNA, HHA, Instructors and state board proctors have been in their very late 60s!!
Dont question yourself. Keep going, we're here for you!
Nursing is hard on any aged persons body but the older you are the harder it will be and this isn't to knock her from pursuing it, it is just the blunt honest truth. Most of the older nurses I work with can barely keep up and they are fit. All things must be considered, like the environment in which you work, the pace etc. I am saying what I am saying because I am a realist. If you are on your feet for 12 hours with a 30 min break that you barely get and hardly any other breaks it will take its toll on you over time.
Not all nursing jobs involve being on your feet for 12 hours. The OP could have plenty of good options.
I'm 56, work 12 hour shifts pushing a med cart for most of those hours, and am currently taking my pre-reqs. It will be Spring 2017 before I can even start the nursing program, so I'll be pushing 60 by the time I finish. Like Dave, I have a degree in Information Technology, but the last thing I wanted to do was go back to sitting in a cubicle on my butt all day. Part of the reason I decided to pursue a new career in nursing, is that it will force me to stay active and hopefully, fit. Regardless of the outcome, I love my work and I love being back in school.
Had to smile at this one. I will be 56 Nov 1 and I am just starting the pre courses that are required before even being accepted into nursing school. So I will be 60 or so when I hopefully get my RN.
I think that the two qualities that are most important when asking that question are:
To the OP, I am 52 and currently working on getting into a nursing program. I spent 21 years as a medic in the military, retired in 2011 and started working as a telemetry tech shortly after that. I think that you are as young as you feel and I work with a number of nurses that became nurses after having other careers first or raising their kids to adulthood. You keep on plugging away and one day we will both be posting that we have arrived!
I am one of the older students in my college too. It is harder going to college when you are older, however I believe that if your grades hold at B's, then you should continue. Only because my grades are holding at 3.0 do I continue and should have my bachelor's degree by 2017. Make sure that you take care of your health and do not overwhelm yourself with classes. My limit is 3 a semester. Your mind can only absorb so much. Congratulations to you, and KUDOS!!!!
A friend just posted a picture on Facebook that read: You're never too old, and it's never too late. I needed to see that today, and I think you did, too!
I turned 40 in nursing school; half my class was over 30 when we started, with a few in their early 50s. It is do-able, and it depends on what you want to do when you get out. Getting your RN will open more doors for you in the field, and there is nothing saying an RN can't do home care, especially for your grandchild!
I'm a better nurse now at 45 than I would have been at 25. I know that's not true of everyone, but it is true of me. On the other hand, one adjustment I've had to make is seeing my college friends really hitting their peak in their careers (after 20+ years in their fields) while I'm still a newbie. Sometimes it feels like I "should be doing more," but then I have one of those patients who holds my hand and won't let go until they have looked me in the eyes and thanked me for taking care of them, and I'm in less of a hurry to "do more" with my nursing degree. The patients are why I do what I do. You will find your meaning and your place in nursing, for however many years you have to do it!
Iknowwha2du
91 Posts
Nursing is hard on any aged persons body but the older you are the harder it will be and this isn't to knock her from pursuing it, it is just the blunt honest truth. Most of the older nurses I work with can barely keep up and they are fit. All things must be considered, like the environment in which you work, the pace etc. I am saying what I am saying because I am a realist. If you are on your feet for 12 hours with a 30 min break that you barely get and hardly any other breaks it will take its toll on you over time.