Introductions:"New" and "Old" Students.

Ingridcoxenmoyer · Jun 13, 2005

Hi everyone! I'm Ingrid. I am 34 years old. I decided to go back to school and now I graduating from Practical Nursing program in 1 week.

lizzybeth · Jun 14, 2005

Good for you going back to school. You can do it even if you have some weak areas...like the sciences. I hate them but I did it. I went to school the first time when I was your age...to be a nutritionist, I thought I would die when I had to take 3 chesistries....ugh! Then almost 20 yrs. later...I know I am old! I decided that if I did not go to school to be a RN now it would be too late....so once again I did it. Just graduated and now thinking about the boards...see you can do anything you put your mind to. I somehow got ADHD this year...I still don't believe it... but I still did it. I failed Micro the first time. I took it outside my school, the instructor was foreign, I did not understand a word, the next time I got a B+, I was going through a lot, just moved, left my husband, living with my parents...it was not a time for learning. I would not let a course, an instructor, a husband!, or anything stop me from achieving my goals. I plan on working until I practically die. I love to work, I am happy when I work...that is why it still mattered to me to be a nurse. So don't worry about a thing, once you are in the middle of it all you will get it, you have the desire and the right attitude to be a great nurse. Nancy

Thank you all for replying. I am glad to hear that micro is nothing like chemistry. God! I am not dumb by any means but when you have a family it's crazy! Nancy--good for you having the strength to get through a divorce and all the other obstacles you've encountered. Your determination will bring you where you want and need to be! I am not sure about my own relationship, but will be damned if it is going to bring me down, or distract me from my dream! I also have a 95 y/o grandmother who I am sure won't last another 2 years (I hate to sound so negative, but life is what it is). I need to brace myself for any bad things that could happen during my nursing ed. and deal with them because there are a lot of situations that could turn from good to bad in a blink of an eye.It's scary, but and at the same time--we need to be emotionally strong. That is what nurses are. And I must commend you nancy on your strength and graduating!!!

Thanx --Laurie

leslie56 · Jun 14, 2005

my name is leslie, i am 19 (will be 20 the 15th!) i just finished my first year of nursing school. whew! i am going for my bachelors program at purdue calumet.

lpn_tonya87 · Jun 19, 2005

:rolleyes:

My name is Tonya Mother of 3 and wife of 1 very big guy. I went back and got my LPN certificate and am now doign prereq's for the RN program. Only have 4 more sememster to go and I will be done. Hello to everyone and good luck with all you are working on. Its definitely a challenge to manage time and do homework.

lpn_tonya87

rochelleus · Jun 20, 2005

Hey there, I'm Angi, Mother to daughters 8 & 10 and wife to an Army man. He's deployed right now and I'm starting my first semester of the 15 month RN program in August! Any advice would be helpful!

bluecandi · Jun 22, 2005

Hello I'm Candice. 26 and live in the Dallas TX area. Married to the military (USAFR), no kids. Am starting my senior year of an ADN program.......I will be a full fledged RN in May of 06. YEAH!!!!

Candice

Aquamarine · Jun 22, 2005

Good luck to you. The last semester was the worst for me but I think it was because I had met my stress threshold long before that. I don't think any of the academics were horrible just the endless writing and rewriting of the same words over and over and over for those care plans. My best frined got kicked out for handing in care plans late in the 3rd semester so I was kind of down about that. She had an 82 average...not exactly failing but they gave her all F's and felt justified about it. I just graduated and I am looking for jobs. How is the job market in TX. Are there sign on bonuses? There are in Rochester, NY but not in Buffalo, NY which is where I am looking.

The time does goe by so very fast.

Nancy

Hello I'm Candice. 26 and live in the Dallas TX area. Married to the military (USAFR), no kids. Am starting my senior year of an ADN program.......I will be a full fledged RN in May of 06. YEAH!!!!
Candice

suzy253, RN · Jun 23, 2005

Just wanted to say hello again. Still a student (aged 52)--just finished my junior (2nd) year in a diploma program so now I'm officially a senior. Graduation 5/06! :)

Aquamarine · Jun 23, 2005

Well, I finally found a student in their 50's! I just graduated and I am 58. I graduated the first time from college when I was 38, I was the oldest in the class that time too. I just wondered what motivated you to go to school now? I am sure a lot of people wondered that about me. A few of the students said I was older than their gradparents! But I bet their grandparents were not in college but selttling in for old age...whatever.

I feel good that i "did it" and am looking forward to passing those darn boards and getting my first job.

I was motivated because I made a little mistake and married a guy that I dated for 8 yrs. He lived in another city and I had to quit my 15yr. Nutrition position in a major medical center, and a county job I had with awesome benefits, that I loved. He made no major life changes....except he laid on my couch instead of his, and watched my TV instead of his. Needless to say, I realized I had a lemon and had to turn that around to make lemonade. I always wanted to be a nurse and so I dedcided this was the time, and this was a good motivator, and I would not be worse off but better off. I am hoping now to find a job close to home (I am back in MY home) with tolerable hours. I was offered 11pm - 7pm in a place I liked but I hate those hours.

good luck to you...of course you will do it.

I did feel kind of alone at the opposite end of the age spectrum...but made it. I realized I was not 18yrs. old soon enough. I studied with the youngest girl in the class...oddly enough, then later with someone in their 30's.

In the end I did not care about anything but passing and ending the drive to school and sitting still in the class all day, most everyday.

Let me know what your motivating factor was.

Nancy K

Just wanted to say hello again. Still a student (aged 52)--just finished my junior (2nd) year in a diploma program so now I'm officially a senior. Graduation 5/06! :)

suzy253, RN · Jun 23, 2005

Hi Nancy. With me, I had always wanted to be a nurse; was accepted at two nursing schools to commence immediately after HS (1971)--Fordham U & New Rochelle. Met my then-husband-to-be-now-ex-husband-thankfully. Was young, naive and just plain stupid. He didn't want me to be a nurse so I chose to listen to him. Have been a secretary all these years but my interest in nursing never wained but I never did anything about it although other opportunities arose. Mostly lack of confidence in myself.

Hubby #2 and I made a move to New England 4 years ago--so burnt out of secretary work and looked around for nursing schools here. Found a perfect one, applied, and was accepted. My dream come true. Although I'm the oldest in the class, I never felt that way. I'm a bit of a loon--outgoing, friendly and have the life experiences...so I never felt uncomfortable. I'm just doing what I've always wanted and loving every minute of it.

Have one more year to go. I'm proud of myself to accomplish all that I have "at this age". Just about everyone says "gotta hand it to you". My confidence has skyrocketed; I've learned so much and it's truly great.

Cheers for now. :)

Aquamarine · Jun 23, 2005

That's great. I like nursing also, I wanted to be a nurse when I went to college for Nutrition years ago and all my nurse friends talked me out of it. I loved doing Nutrition but it was not enough, I went above and beyond the call of duty all the time.You are the first one I heard of in her 50's that went for it, it is good to know I am not so different.

When I got married 3 yrs. ago my husband was in so much debt that I did not know about. He painted an entirely different picture when I dated him for 7 yrs. I had surgery and I was home to answer the phone and look around at the bills. I figured I had to go to school and earn more, he said "don't think you are going to live here and go to nursing school". I finished my first year of school there, he moved me back to my house in another city the week after school got out.I was forced to drive out of town everyday this past year but it wasn't so bad. My first husband would ot even let me work, so I've come a long way, baby!The winter was moderate and I made it. He was surprised when he found out I graduated. Since I left, he was forced to sell his house and is renting somewhere. I still have my house but I worked from the minute I got out of clinic Fri. until the time I went back on Mon.to keep everything going. It worked and I survived. Now I am kind of bored looking for jobs and studying for the boards. I don't miss the drive everyday.

I think it is great that you are doing what you want at whatever age and that you have someone obviously that supports your decision. I know I feel rather good that I made it to this point, now I just want to be a good nurse.I will get my BA at my next employers expense.

I became a resource for other Nutritionist in the area of Renal nutrition and I would just love to be that good at nursing.

It runs in my family to keep on pushing.....My Aunt says every year she is going to quit working, she is 85yrs. old and looks 60. My dad is 89 and just got a computer this year and learned so quick, he exercises at the Marriott everyday without fail and his friends are my age. So I think it is in my genes or I am just a late bloomer. I think my energy and my motivation scares off men, I will work on that at a later date.

Good luck to you, although I don't think you'll need much. and it is true the old people rock!

Nancy

Cheers for now. :)

tracemishel · Jun 24, 2005

I am trying to get into the LPN program at a community college after working for a semester towards rad tech (too competetive). There are only so many spots in all of the programs at our colleges, but more in the nursing field than radiology. I have all my pre-reqs and then some, but took my LPN pretest 2 days after deciding to switch and didn't pass the science. So I didn't get accepted into the program for fall. I am aiming for spring semester now. But I have heard we have to work 1 year as LPN's before we can go on to RN's (which is what I really would like to do) But I have a 2 yr old and really need to start making money. So I guess this is my goal. I was hoping to be completely done with school in 2 years. By the way I will be 31 in Sept. I am kicking myself in the butt for not going to college after high school!!!!