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Discussion

Is it conceivable ?

I am 45 years old and have not been in school or worked for near 16 years....I am considering going back to school to become an RN....is this doable or am I just fooling myself?

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    Totally doable.Go for it.

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    • Experts

    Your goal is attainable. People older than you have accomplished it. In fact, people in their 50s and 60s have started from square one and managed to graduate from nursing programs. Good luck to you!

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    I started pre-reqs for nursing at age 45. You will probably work another 20 years. Might as well be doing what you want.

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    Anybody at any age can go back to school. Actually chances are now that you are over 20 you will do very well, as you are now a mature adult (yippee!)

    Be careful though. If you are doing this because you need the paycheck I'd say to also consider other professions as well as there is absolutely no nursing shortage. If you will need to have your education financed, you need to be aware that you may remain unemployed long after your first loan repayment comes due. Best have a nest egg in the bank!!!!!

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    • Experts

    Doable? Yes, very.

    But keep in mind that this job market is brutal to nurses of all ages. So if you are looking just for a financially secure career, you may want to rethink this one. Yes, the money is good...if you can get the job, that is, and therein lies the problem. Just ask all of the unemployed new grads out there.

    Best of luck!

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    Not related to your post content, but this is what came to mind with the thread title:

    Now back to your regularly scheduled conversation... Good luck with your decision! :)

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    Not related to your post content, but this is what came to mind with the thread title:

    Now back to your regularly scheduled conversation... Good luck with your decision! :)

    totally beat me to it!

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    I'll be 44yo when I graduate next spring, and I'm not even close to being the oldest person in my program -- go for it!

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    Some of you have heard the story of one of my students who was 62. She had been married for forty-plus years to an old sob (not "short of breath," either) who told her how stupid and worthless she was and how nothing she ever wanted to do was the least bit useful. And when he died she took the life insurance money and went to nursing school, bless her.

    She wasn't any better at nursing (or any worse) than any of her 18-year-old chickie classmates, but she had something that they didn't, and that was life experience. She had seen her mother and father die, seen how families coped with adversity, knew what it was like to be a mother and a grandmother; she could sit down at a bedside and calm a frightened person just because she was a white-haired older lady who didn't panic and knew what to say, when to say it, and when to be quiet and just be there.

    I have no idea if you will be able to find work. On the practical side you should look for a job with fewer physical aspects, if you can find it. And it is possible that if you can express those qualities bestowed by maturity, someone will see how lucky they are to have you, even if only for a short while.

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