I'm 53 Trying Nursing School AGAIN!

[joiful]

I was accepted to 3 nursing schools, picked 1 and started. After a few weeks I had to have a second cervical surgery. I ended up having to drop out. Then I tried going again, and I had to be put under semi conscious state for 3 days because of pain. I had to drop out of that school. Now, I REALLY want to try again. I'm scheduled to take the TEAS next month, and the problem is there is so much information to relearn and now I'm required to have a higher score for a particular school I'm wanting to graduate from. I would only have a year. Any prep advice or thoughts?

[mergatonin]

Hi joiful, I definitely encourage you to try nursing again! It's never too late and it's great to keep learning and bettering yourself!

When were you last in nursing school? Was it very long ago?

I would say do some practice tests and see where you are scoring on the TEAS and then you'll have a pretty good idea of how much prep you need. Buy some study materials for the Teas VI and just dive into it. I think as you get into the studying you'll see a lot of recurring themes and questions and you will start to see where you need to really focus. I know at first it seems just like an unrealistic amount of information to take in, but once you start to sort through it, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you need help learning some of the A&P (as well as other science topics) I really recommend Khan Academy. They have really great tutorials and videos, plus it's free! I've had a problem finding a reliable teas 6 study guide.. so I actually bought a few and bounce around to get some information from each. Make sure you're getting ones for TEAS 6, a lot of stores are still selling the ones for the old TEAS. Although its pricey, I would suggest going straight for the study guides from ATI because they are the ones that actually make the test. Also, read through the posts on here, it gives you a great idea of what people saw on the TEAS and best studying tips.

I wouldn't limit yourself to just one school or program. Have some backups ready in case it doesn't work out with that you can still find a program that is great and the end license will be the same!

I'm not sure what you're going for exactly, but keep your mind open. If you don't fit into an RN program, consider an LPN one and you can bridge to RN, and then for your BSN and then master's..drs....

It may also help to speak to someone at the admissions dept. of the program you're applying to about your situation and what they accepted students typical GPA and teas scores are.

Good luck! The best nurses are the ones with a lot of life experience (especially with chronic pain, patients need someone that can empathize), so beginning at an older age is a great thing!