I'm dreaming of a helicopter....

[mommysue37]

i am a student nurse. an older student nurse, actually. i will be almost 47 when i graduate. i have wanted to be a nurse for ages and have worked in the medical field since 1984 as a medical assistant. my dream to be a nurse has finally (almost) come true! (and i am sooooo excited!!) i found a job in our local trauma level ii hospital in communications and dispatching our air medical helicopter. :typing a couple years ago, you could not have gotten me on that flying contraption for love nor money! however, since working as a dispatcher and dealing with codes, close to er, etc, i have come to love this field and have also come to love that heli!! (much to my surprise...) i am constantly reading articles out of trauma magazines and anything else i can get my hands on....with the aim of getting the privilege of working for this air medical service.

however, i am now second-guessing myself after seeing how much experience some of these people have. long story short....i feel like i am running out of time. by the time i work in er/icu for the required 2-3 years, i will be almost 50. i am in very good shape for my age, however, having been mistaken for being 10 years younger. my dilemma is that i know there is no substitute for experience and i am feeling that i could quickly get in over my head, especially in a trauma situation. i wanted feedback from some more experienced nurses. would you be willing to take a chance on an older (determined) student with only 2-3 years experience? should i maintain my dream goal and see what happens? or should i bring myself back 'down to earth'?