I am his second wife and ever since he's known me I've been doing prereqs, on the waiting list, in nursing school and now, finally - an RN! So here I am a new grad RN and he has decided belatedly that he would like to try nursing.
His background is this: BS in Computer Science, many desk jobs in programming and teaching programming, some experience working in retail management. He is a GREAT teacher, and a GREAT salesman. He also is a dive instructor so has some experience with search and rescue and helping drowning people, etc. He is also fantastic with kids (has five of his own), the kind of big teddy bear type of guy that kids and dogs just love. He has been burned out on programming/retail for awhile now and hates the 9-5 desk thing. He has been staying home the last year to raise our 1 yr old while I finished school.
I think that actually he would make a fantastic nurse but we are both sort of daunted by the idea of starting all over again - with the prereqs, the classes, the studying, the NCLEX, etc. Is it worth it for him to try? Is it too late? Anyone other males out there who decided to recareer as a nurse at this age?
I wanted to share that I just graduated a bsn program and I am 40 years old. I have chosen not to pursue nusing at this time, I felt that nursing school was a positive life growing experiance, but at some point in my last semester specifically my ER role synthesis clinical, i lost my warm and fuzzy feeling of helping people, I just dreaded my clinical and felt there were other non tangibles that I missed in life (ie normal hours, using the bathroom prn,having a real lunch break ) just to state a few. But before I get lambasted by the opposition, I did not feel this way until I turned 40 prior to that I was fine. Maybe it was my physiology, I developed htn in my late 30's who knows, but I did not enjoy running around with my head on fire anymore. I knew I was feeling this way about the 4th or 5th week into the last semester. The alternative has been to go into the medical supply industry and work as a sales rep. My prior experiance was 15 years of customer service and my bsn, well aparently there are companies who like this mix and I was hired. The good news for me is when I make a sales plan, I secretly use the nursing process in developing my sales and marketing plans.
Blue Martian: That's great! Med-surg is not for everybody, and a nursing training can be the basis of countless careers. It's such a diverse field.
I am a 37 y/o LPN and am working now with a goal of BSN or higher. One thing for some of you to keep in mind is that there are jobs out there for nurses with computer backgrounds working with & building clinical systems for healthcare.
...It will make him feel younger by being with the traditional college students....They have many "non-traditional" students in NSU's BSN program and they all hang out with us.. I know they feel great by having friends their kids age....hopefully he will like it
Yeah, it was great until one day one of the peppy 18 year old girls told me after I'd given her some help with something, "It's nice having you around, you're like the dad of our class."
I'm only 34!
To the OP, I say go for it. I just finished school 3 months ago, and while I'm not quite in my 40's yet, I agree it's never too late. If it's something he wants to do, then he should do it. You don't ever want any "what if's" hanging around when you get older.
We all know the downside of nursing, but the perks are amazing, and more so for older students. I started nursing school around 50, and one aspect I appreciated very much is getting to know people from all over the world - I have friends from all over, including Israel, Jamaica and Ivory Coast. As we age there seems to be fewer ways to meet people, and the social aspect is just one thing that makes it great for a second career. Of course there are many other perks, such as keeping those synapses in our brains clicking away.
Has anybody ever heard from the OP about her husband's progress? I too am a second career nurse who came from a 20 year software career... I'm in an accelerated 2nd BS program and will graduate (with luck) when I'm 46. I'd love to hear what happened with him.
with the limit information on his past career. I would possibly look into Radiology or Nuclear Medicine. With a computer background, this may come easy to him. Excluding the anatomy and path/phis. I just had a friend who I mentored into this field as he was leaving a career in computers and he loves it. Good luck
:balloons:I am a male RN, and was 48 when I started. Now 56, and can't imagine doing anything else. I manage a 70-bed nursing home on weekends, also do pain and restraint management, along with a few other duties.
Tell him to go for it. If he wants a good idea of what he will be getting into, he can try to work part-time as a CNA. A lot of hospitals will even pay you a scholarship for committing to a minimum # of hours while in school. It's good experience.
Former IT person here, although I was only in the field for 2 years before I was laid off. Job security was the main reason for me going into nursing, but I quickly grew to love it. I may have gone through it at an earlier age, but it still wasn't easy. Tell him to persevere. He'll be glad he did.
I'm 63 and just graduated. Your never too old to learn. Today is my first day at my first nursing job, and I'm just as excited as the kids working with me....."Old Dog New Trick"
NursingAgainstdaOdds
450 Posts
Wow since this thread is old and got bumped, I'm curious how it turned out for the OP's hubby??? :)