I am currently not in the nursing profession but, I hope to be soon. I am 55 and will be retiring from teaching. I have both a Bachelors and a Masters in my area of concentration. My brother is an oncologist and my daughter is in her 3rd year of medical school. After talking with both of them I have made my decision to go into nursing.
My daughter recently told me that I should not consider a LVN program because they are being phased out by 2020. Those that are currently in that area will have to go back to school and get a BSN. I realize that the number of people this affects is quite extraordinary.
To obtain either a BSN or LVN will essentially take the same amount of time for me since I have a Bachelors and will be able to use many of those hours except for the Sciences and the Mathematics ( which are older than 2 years).
I spoke to a lady at the local community college and she suggested to jump into an LVN program and then, just go back to school when the need arises. I am at a cross road with this idea. It seems that I would be able to devote more time in the field itself if I were to
go the BSN route. As far as prerequisites for the BSN I would start taking those during night school while I am still working as a teacher. I do not anticipate that there will be any issues with that.
In addition, I have already started researching nursing schools and am looking at one that is offered by UTA online. Since I reside within driving distance of a major medical center that UTA uses for rotations, this, in my opinion, would be a fantastic experience. I sincerely believe that rotations in the medical center in Houston would be far better than the medical center in the city in which I reside. Of course, I would need to get into nursing school at UTA for that to happen.
I am more mature than most students but, I have told that there are no age restrictions in the medical fields since there is a shortage.
Any and all pleasant opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time in reading my note.
My nursing school phased out the LPN education years ago. They said that the MAs (medical assistants) have almost completely taken over the places in doctors offices formerly staffed by LPNs. The hospitals around here do not hire LPNs either. There are a few positions in long term care and with experience, home health.
What exactly do you picture yourself doing in nursing? Long-term care, hospital, home health?
In my area, we finally have new-grad ADN positions that are opening up for our ADN grads, but not so many entry-level positions that I would post my location here and say that's a destination for folks who are unfortunately still in a surplus area.
Also, for what it's worth, I am a nursing instructor and my students who are 50+ do have a much more difficult time with the program than those in their 40's or younger. I'm not being ageist, just telling you what I observe in the classroom, lab, and clinical.
In my neck of the woods in Florida, LPN schools are still flourishing and there is still a need for LPNs in LTC and home health settings. Several LPN-to-RN programs still exist.
Around here, there isn't a surplus of positions per se, but a surplus of positions that require at least a year of experience. There are many new grad programs in my area but you really have to prove yourself and stand out to get those positions.
I have been an RN for 26 years and just turned 50 last year, and I can tell you that age discrimination in the nursing field is very real. As an experienced nurse in my early 40s and younger, whenever I found myself looking for a job I could literally apply at just about any job that fit my experience and education level and expect a call the next day.
Now that I am 50, I was in the market for a new job recently and found that I never heard back from 90% of the positions that I applied for, and the only thing that has changed at all is my age, which employers can guesstimate even if you don't put your DOB or age on your resume due to the dates of your previous employment, graduation, etc. I have never been terminated, done harm to a patient, or even been written up by a supervisor, but it doesn't matter, somehow I am now fairly invisible to potential employers.
Unfortunately, nursing is a field where may people end up getting injured on the job at some point and end up costing their employers time and money, and the older one is, the more likely it seems to an employer that we are physically not fit to do the job and more likely to end up on workers' comp or short term disability. Some older nurses also tend to be burned out and cranky with a low tolerance level for the work or the patients, which is a stereotype that doesn't help those of us of a certain age out either.
To each their own, and I realize that this is comparing apples and oranges because I have been a nurse for a long time and you are just wanting to start out in this field, but I am just waiting patiently until I can retire and enjoy life outside of nursing. I don't hate my job and I get along great with my patients and co-workers, but it's just getting to be too much, especially with all of the unwanted changes going on in healthcare today.
I will re-iterate: there is NO nursing shortage, especially new grads.
There is a shortage of experienced nurses in various specialties.
How much longer do you intend to work? I ask because if you plan on entering the nursing job market in your late fifties and you intend to work until age 65, it may not be worth the time and money spent.
Read some of the forums around here. Also, carefully weigh the pros and cons before making your decision OP.
I don't know where you live but I noticed you used LVN which says you may reside in CA or TX. The LVN position is not being phased out by 2020. Your daughter is misinformed. A BSN and LVN are two different things. What your daughter is thinking of is that there is a push for ASN RNs to get their BSN by 2020. Nobody is being phased out. It's a myth.
An LVN and RN are both nurses but have different scopes of practice. In my state, an LPN usually works in LTC or outpatient facilities.
If you are in CA, know there is a surplus of new grads. I think there is somewhere around a 40% unemployment rate. I would specifically see what your local hospitals are hiring. Talk to HR, not their websites. Once you get an idea, you can look at what path to take. But honestly, those in medical school have no idea what goes on in nursing. They are two separate things. Nurses and doctors work together, but their jobs are separate. Their schooling is separate.
Im going to say it's adventurous to take on nursing at 55. I'm not going to say it can't be done, but have you thought this through?? I mean really thought it through??
I'm 40. I graduate in May. I live in a state, where yes, there is a shortage. Just two years ago, they were laying off nurses. Now, they can't get enough. I have a job lined up after I graduate. Right now, I work on a busy ICU unit. I work nights. That's how we start. On nights. I'm laying here right now with my 40 year old sore body from last night. Lol. It was a crazy night and I did not sit down for 12.5 hours. Patients need to be turned every 2 hours, they need to be transferred, we got 3 new admits, baths needed to be done, rooms stocked, pts. needed transported, the list went on and on. I love my unit and what I do, but it is hard work. I'm just wondering if you understand that. It's not just about pushing some meds and charting.
You also need to look and see if you are hireable. Say you decide to push retirement to 70. You go for your prereqs and decide on an ASN. You are looking at being 58 at graduation. It costs a hospital a lot of money and time to train you. Nursing school prepares you to take NCLEX, not to be a nurse. You learn that on the job. That takes time. Will the hospital get a return on their investment in you? That's how they will look at it.
These are just some items to think about. I don't want to discourage, but before you spend your hard earned money on school, think about whether or not it will be beneficial.
OP: PLEASE do yourself a huge favor. Shadow a nurse for an entire shift. 12 hours. If they are standing or walking, you are standing or walking. you don't eat or pee until/ unless they do. I get the impression you are considering nursing from only the educational point of view, and really do not know what the WORK of nursing entails.
Also: There is NO NURSING SHORTAGE. I don't know how to say this diplomatically, but physicians are ill-informed about our profession. You should talk to nurses about nursing, not physicians and physicians-to-be.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
My daughter recently told me that I should not consider a LVN program because they are being phased out by 2020. Those that are currently in that area will have to go back to school and get a BSN.
This information is inaccurate and cannot be proven by any reputable sources.
LVNs will not be phased out by 2020.
There is no logistically feasible way to force nearly 1 million LVNs/LPNs in the US to obtain a BSN degree by 2020. Your daughter's information is very erroneous.
Through the years - and I'm 60 - I have seen job postings for LPN, Diploma and AD RNs fade away. The hospitals in my area won't hire anyone except a BSN RN. If you have the choice to get the LPN or BSN, I say go for the BSN. It will open more doors
Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.
If you all knew someone who wanted to enter a medical field what would you suggest?...If there is no shortage of nurses I suppose you would also say that is no shortage of any positions in the medical fields. Would that be the case?
I don't think the advice given to 1 person could ring true for everyone. There is an extremely broad spectrum of professions lying in the medical field. Some of them have legitimate shortages and some do not. The decision to pursue any of them has to be made by the person making the decision as such a decision is extremely individualized and dependent upon the position itself and the personality of the person making the decision.
Looking at your post, *completely* objectively, I would not advise a 55 year old master's educated teacher to pursue LVN certification. But that doesn't mean you couldn't do it, or wouldn't do it well. I *would* however advise you to think twice and do some very thorough research before making your decision.
If you need to continue to work for money, why not just postpone retirement or continue teaching at another school? If you want to do it for personal fulfillment, there are many other ways you can volunteer in medical capacities without having to go through the lengthy and physically stressful rigamorole of becoming a nurse.
As others have said here, just because you see several postings on job boards doesn't mean there is a shortage. Many places seem as though they have shortages or surpluses of jobs because they are specifically looking for nurses with experience. Thus the new grads can't find work because the people hiring can't or won't bend for whatever reason.
You've gotten a lot of good advice here. None of us can make up your mind for you, but, to be honest, I'm in the school of thought where I would advise you to think very carefully about your decision. I've had many colleagues in their 20's or 30's leave the profession due to injury or burnout. It's an extremely physically demanding job and the cushier jobs don't go to new grads. The advice to shadow a nurse for 12 hours is good advice.
I won't reiterate the points about ADN/BSN/whatever or the lack of shortage, most people have done that already, but if you need to work, I wouldn't go back to school to get a LVN/LPN degree. You'd be lucky to crack $35,000 per year as a new grad LPN in my area. I'm guessing with a master's and many years of work in your field you make more than that now, and becoming a LPN would be a drastic pay cut for you.
Nursing pay does not take any previous experience in other fields into account - with either zero years of work experience or decades of work experience in other fields you would still be a new grad LPN. New grad BSNs start at at least $22/hr these days where I live. It's literally an almost ten thousand dollar pay difference between LPNs and BSNs.
LPNs are no longer being hired in hospitals where I live, so you are limited exclusively to nursing homes, physician offices, home health, etc., which all usually pay much less than hospital nursing. Some places even pay LPNs $15/hr or less.
Unless you are independently wealthy and going back to school for fun because you want more meaning in your life, I would not go the LPN route.
Another vote for suggesting that you consider this very carefully and shadow a nurse if you can. I had no idea the kind of labor that nursing was before I went into it. I am just 30, and my feet, legs, and/or back hurt by the end of the day almost every day - and I work in one of the LESS strenuous areas. Hospital and long term care nursing is no joke. Now, there are also options like doctors offices positions, but if thats what you are looking for, consider a medical assistant course instead.
In answer to your question about what fields I would recommend? Depends on the person, but sometimes I recommend going into physical therapy (requires a masters degree). Or ultrasound tech. Medical assisting can be a good fit for some, or working as a unit clerk.
RNperdiem, RN
4,592 Posts
My nursing school phased out the LPN education years ago. They said that the MAs (medical assistants) have almost completely taken over the places in doctors offices formerly staffed by LPNs. The hospitals around here do not hire LPNs either. There are a few positions in long term care and with experience, home health.
What exactly do you picture yourself doing in nursing? Long-term care, hospital, home health?