Going to Nursing School at an Older Age

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I have been planning to go to nursing school (direct entry MSN) & have been progressing in that direction. The other day I was having a conversation with a coworker (a non-practicing nurse!) and she said, now at your age (I am in my 40s) you have 10, maybe 20 years of nursing, but if a younger candidate gets your seat they can practice nursing for like 40 years, so why should you get a seat? It's more beneficial to train a younger nurse. I was rather tacken aback by the question & said something to the effect the more nurses the better and it is illegal to discriminate based on age, and she said the nursing shortage is a myth and age discrimination happens, no matter what! While I always believe education is throughout one's life and one should pursue one's aspirations, it got me thinking. (In some countries where their are no age discrimination laws this does happen). Is it really socially more desirable to prefer younger candidates? And does this factor into admissions decisions?

I am so glad I found this thread!! l love the comments from those who are indeed older. I am trying to transfer to an online school to complete my MSN. I had been an RN for quite a few years and got my BSN online from a major u niversity in my state graduating with degree honors in 2007 at age 56. The schools I am applying to to complete my MSN DO ask birthdate on the applications. I also have been told by those recruiters calling me about my interest in schools that some Master's programs DO indeed have age limits. Some go to 64 and some don't go that high. I am now 59 and probably will be over 60 when done. Also just got turned down by one of the two schools i applied to. The letter said my GPA did not meet their standard. I know for a fact that their required GPA is 3.0. Says so on their website under Requirements. My undergrad BSN GPA was 3.689. The other one will not meet until November but they asked birthdate too. I am also cncerned that if i get turned down agaon that I may never finish which will definitely keep me from dpong what i was really meant to do, be a Nurse Practitioner. I was realy supposed to be a doc but I didn't know that then. Also being a RN already the NP was the best route for me to take. Now, being older, over 55, and talented with a lot to give and much to do may be getting in the way. Getting hired concerns me too if i ever get it finished. I don't have much more to go.

Those who say there is no age discrimination just have not confronted it yet. Also those in the HR depts are younger than those of us with the experience. They are too young to appreciate the benefit of our experience. Barinbass

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Hmmmn, sounds like we need to be lobbying Congress or something about this. If they keep raising the retirement age for Social Security, and want all of us to keep working longer, then the gov't needs to be enforcing the anti-age discrimination laws. They used to say do your career switching before you hit 40, but in today's world, jobs, employers, and entire vocations are disappearing almost overnight due to globalization. At the same time, employers are no trying to kick out employees by the time they hit 45 or 50, and that bar keeps getting lowered, not raised.

I am sick and tired of tarty 20-somethings thinking they rule the world just because they are young and look hawt. There is more to work performance than youth and a little pear shaped butt. Besides, I'm DONE with all of that family life, and I can and will be available to work any shifts and as much OT as I can get.

Today's women are not all used up at age 40 or 50 or 65 or even 70, especially if we skipped the childrearing. It's not the age. It's the MILEAGE. :D

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Geriatrics(LTC), Pediatricts,.

Streamline2010, how do we start a lobby? I'm looking at another 20+ years to work, I'm 52 now, and know I won't be able to afford to retire, so will work till I can't anymore. Don't know what I'd do if I were forced to retire, won't be able to afford to. Other option would be private duty, the young ones don't want to do that, it's not exciting enough for them.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
I am so glad I found this thread!! l love the comments from those who are indeed older. I am trying to transfer to an online school to complete my MSN. I had been an RN for quite a few years and got my BSN online from a major u niversity in my state graduating with degree honors in 2007 at age 56. The schools I am applying to to complete my MSN DO ask birthdate on the applications. I also have been told by those recruiters calling me about my interest in schools that some Master's programs DO indeed have age limits. Some go to 64 and some don't go that high. I am now 59 and probably will be over 60 when done. Also just got turned down by one of the two schools i applied to. The letter said my GPA did not meet their standard. I know for a fact that their required GPA is 3.0. Says so on their website under Requirements. My undergrad BSN GPA was 3.689. The other one will not meet until November but they asked birthdate too. I am also cncerned that if i get turned down agaon that I may never finish which will definitely keep me from dpong what i was really meant to do, be a Nurse Practitioner. I was realy supposed to be a doc but I didn't know that then. Also being a RN already the NP was the best route for me to take. Now, being older, over 55, and talented with a lot to give and much to do may be getting in the way. Getting hired concerns me too if i ever get it finished. I don't have much more to go.

Those who say there is no age discrimination just have not confronted it yet. Also those in the HR depts are younger than those of us with the experience. They are too young to appreciate the benefit of our experience. Barinbass

When I applied to my master's program, I expressed concerns about my age because I had just turned 51. The associate dean of the grad school reframed it and said that I was ONLY 51. Sure, some of my professors are my age or younger but many of my classmates are older than I am. Many of the students in the doctoral program at my school are older than I am---and I do plan to go past the master's for a PhD.

I recently got a new advisor and she's in her 70s, working full-time as a full professor, teaching master's and PhD students and doing research. She is an amazing woman and an inspiration. If I can be half the educator she is, I will be happy!

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What is your school? It helps if we know those that are more age friendly. Barinbass

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there are fields that she can go into..even at 70 years of age.

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Specializes in psych, general, emerg, mash.

considering he/she has life experience, which the young ones dont have...patronize it!

look at the number of men & women that own corporations that refuse to 'retire'.

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So I am applying to LPN school at age 62 does this appear to be too old? I certainly don't want to go to admissions and be embarrassed. I do have a B.S. and Masters degree that does show that I have the academic ability. What are you thoughts?:D

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Specializes in Psychiatric nursing.

Just graduated from nursing school, 3 weeks before my 67th birthday. You can do anything you set your mind to. Good luck.

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Thank you, I needed to hear that! I'm looking for a school for LPN in the Tampa Bay area that doesn't teach through attrition. Many of the posts on this site make it appear that the programs are for academic supermen. What is your advice in terms of successful studying techniques?

thanks again

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Specializes in Psychiatric nursing.

I have no advice regarding studying. Each person has unique methods of learning and absorbing information. I studied much differently than others in my class and it appeared that they all studied differently. The key is understanding multiple choice questions (MCQ). I would recommend a book that was required by my RN program: Test Success, ISBN: 978-0-8036-1894-7, by Patricia Nugent and Barbara Vitale. Understanding MCQs is more important than anything else if you're going to survive. It's the questions that will kill you!

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Thank you, I needed to hear that! I'm looking for a school for LPN in the Tampa Bay area that doesn't teach through attrition. Many of the posts on this site make it appear that the programs are for academic supermen. What is your advice in terms of successful studying techniques?

thanks again

OK, so I am 44 and just finished my first semester of nursing school (clinical). For pre-nursing classes I had a binder, did flash cards, etc. But for the program, my school supplies us with bound powerpoint of each section so the binder was not necessary. I take notes on the power point. Then, I make flash cards (every night after class to keep on top of it) and basically between making flash cards and going over them occasionally, it has been enough to keep a B average. Now you may think a B is not so great but believe me, all of us were A students and a bunch of people are flunking out. A B is nothing to shrug at. :) But seriously, what works for me may not work for you. You just need to see what is best for you. Another thing I did is I have a study group. Our class starts at 12 but we meet every lecture day at 7:30 and review together. Now some of that time is spent just talking or whatever. That is fine. The point is we still do spend time on our studies rather than being home cleaning or something. I also summarize the notes with a study guide. You also need to try to read as much as you can from your text books but you have to learn to pretty much skim the material then zero in on the stuff that is in text boxes. This is the info that is really important. Last, do all of the practice nclex questions at the end of each chapter and on the computer. The tests in nursing school are all nclex style and it is totally different from normal classes tests. It takes a little while to get used to it and if your school offers a test taking seminar, take it. They do help you figure out how to take the questions apart and figure out what is important info (to answer the question ) and what is just thrown in there to confuse you. All in all it is doable and you will find time fly's. Just hang in there, do your best and do not expect to keep your 4.0 unless you are a genus :) lol .:nurse::nurse:

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