Did I Wait Too Long to Become A Nurse?

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.

Did I Wait Too Long to Become A Nurse?

In the Beginning...

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.

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gwelch01

About gwelch01, BSN, RN

My name is Ginger Welch and I am a nursing student at Baker College. I am 55 years old and in the third quarter of the BSN program. I have been married 36 years this October. I have been attending Baker College since the summer of 2013.

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There are alot of people who have gone for nursing later in life. Either because of family commitments

or having nursing as a second career. With Social Security raising the age of retirement all the time you can

bet you will have a long career as a nurse even if you graduate at 57 years old. Go for it!!!

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Congrats to you but you will be tired especially with your family commitments and also due to your age.

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43 and just in my first semester of pre-reqs here - I think you're awesome!

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By the time I graduate I will be 57 years old.

How old will you be in two years if you DON'T finish nursing school?;)

Good for you for following your dream.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I graduated from nursing school at 47. My second son was born the first semester of nursing school. I don't recall much of his infancy. Regardless, if you've had 6 kids (I have 5) you can easily complete nursing school. I think having to retake pharmacology will give you new energy to focus on what you need to "get the paper." After all, the only goal of nursing school is for you to obtain your license and go to work; then you can start to really learn how to practice nursing. The hardest time I had with nursing school was spending so much time on ridiculous projects, presentations, social assignments, and other stuff that had nothing to do with nursing. I didn't have to retake a class but I made the exact minimum grade in chemistry to move on - big wake up call. You can and will make it. Keep us informed!

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Specializes in CVICU/ICU.

Keep plugging away! There are plenty of young nurses that graduate... work a short time and quit. You will have a nice long career. Hey, grandma Moses started her second career as an artist in her 70's(lived to around 100). :cool:

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Specializes in DD, PD/Agency Peds, School Sites.

I turned 40 in nursing school. Go for it!

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Specializes in Cardicac Neuro Telemetry.

I just wanted to tell you what a great writer you are! I was interested from beginning to end. You really know how to "hook" a reader and maintain interest.

You've been through a lot. I think it is wonderful that you're using negative experiences and applying them to something good. I wish you all the best in your nursing career!

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40 year old, first term ADN student, here! A calling is a calling is a calling--it doesn't matter when you answer it, only that you do.

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

I graduated with my PN and earned my license last spring and the young age of 58. I am pursing ADN now. I had always wanted to be a nurse, but like you, sometimes life detours us on our destination. Having to retake a class is not bad. You are almost there and I am sure you know what you need to work on when you retake the class. Keep going, you will make it and it will so be worth it. As you said, nothing like a smile at the end of the day from your patient's, or, in my case, residents. You know you made a difference to them that day.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Six kids by 24? I am 24 now. I can't even imagine...

Good for you for deciding to pursue your dreams! Keep us posted.

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