Is it too late for me at 50?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

It's not too late to pursue your dream. In my experience, students who are determined succeed. 

Let's break down the steps and the timeline:

• Two years. Complete your prerequisites, including statistics, anatomy & physiology, Microbiology, chemistry, sociology, and medical terminology (not an inclusive list).
• Two years. Complete nursing program.
• Two years. Gain surgical experience.

So by the age of fifty-six to fifty-eight, you could be an experienced registered nurse (RN) with several career options. This timeframe is only an estimate, and the duration may vary based on your circumstances. For instance, you might be eligible for an accelerated nursing program. Additionally, there may be times when you're waiting to receive school responses or for the start dates of semesters.

Surgical RFNA

After a couple of years of experience, you could be eligible for Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) certification or apply for Registered Nurse First Assist (RFNA) training. The Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) is the professional organization for surgical nurses.

Wound Care

You're also interested in wound care, and there is a demand for wound care nurses. The professional organization for wound care is WOCN (Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society ). Hopefully, during school, you'll get an opportunity to observe, if not shadow, a wound care nurse. Take these opportunities to talk to them.

Conclusion

Take it one step at a time and be open-minded as you go through clinicals. Many nurses change their desired specialty once they are exposed to different fields.

Get the highest grades you can on your prerequisites to make yourself more competitive for admission to a nursing program. 

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth