Is there nursing after 50?

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Does being 50+ mean I have to quit nursing and go into poverty for the rest of my life or am I supossed to kill myself?

I hope there is nursing after 50, I became an LPN at age 46. I'll be 48 this Feb. and hope to have my RN by Aug. 2005. I plan on working for many years to come. Being a nurse has been a lifelong dream, only life kept getting in the way of going to school. I prayed about his long & hard and God has gotten me this far, so I know he'll find something out there when my body starts to weaken.

Teena in Indiana

Then there are those of us who hoped to get the he** OUT of nursing by the time they were 40--and we're still here, in one capacity or another! I really enjoy operating room nursing, teaching and consulting, and I have as much energy and stamina as I did when I was in my 20s, so I do them all, but I don't have any desire to work full time anymore--too lazy, and too much other fun stuff to concentrate on. Mostly I do it to keep up my skills, and it's pretty fun, and, in most operating rooms where I've been lucky enough to work, the atmosphere is a relaxed, social one. If it's not, I just leave--that's the beauty of being a traveler.

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I just graduated form nursing school and I will be 40 this year. I sure hope I have more than 10 years of work ahead of me, if not those student loans are never gonna get payed back :chuckle

People constantly think I have been a nurse for years, I think age is an asset in nursing, my patients always remark to me that they do not want student nurses taking care of them. I just nod and smile and chuckle to myself. If they only knew.

By the time i graduate nursing school i will be around 46 years old. This is a time in my life where i get to do what i always wanted to do with my life. I agree with you that age is an asset in nursing. Not only are you more mature, but you are wiser with age. We begin to see that taking care of these patients is not only for a paycheck, but because you care deep inside yourself. I love nothing more then to take care of a patient who is ill and try and make it easier for them. I have a good sense of humor and I do hope with this combination I have, It will make my patients time more comfortable. :balloons:

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By the time i graduate nursing school i will be around 46 years old. This is a time in my life where i get to do what i always wanted to do with my life. I agree with you that age is an asset in nursing. Not only are you more mature, but you are wiser with age. We begin to see that taking care of these patients is not only for a paycheck, but because you care deep inside yourself. I love nothing more then to take care of a patient who is ill and try and make it easier for them. I have a good sense of humor and I do hope with this combination I have, It will make my patients time more comfortable. :balloons:

I'm 51 and ready to jump off a bridge, any one know where there is a good one? cause I would rather do that then to live under one?

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I'm 51 and ready to jump off a bridge, any one know where there is a good one? cause I would rather do that then to live under one?

Malt, could you work as a nursing assistant instead of as an LPN? (I am confused--are you an RN or LPN?) Heck, could you be a bartender, housekeeper or waiter? Security guard?

What about school nursing, or home health aide, or dispensing in a methadone clinic, or working in a clinic set up for homeless people? Or on a reservation?

Man, licensed nursing is not your only option--is it?

I've known lots of guys who moonlighted as bartenders or security guards. At least it pays the bills.

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Malt -What about in home daycare until you find something in nursing? You could restrict it to ages that you enjoy.

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I'm 51 and ready to jump off a bridge, any one know where there is a good one? cause I would rather do that then to live under one?

Malt,

Three years ago hubby and I lost everything that we worked all of our lives for, defending ourselves in a frivilous lawsuit that never made it to court. This pre-lawsuit bashing by the attorneys of our accuser went on for four years. All during those four years we had to constantly pay an attorney to represent us. He was answering a minimum 2 new letters, court filings, and untruthful accusations per month from our accuser's attorney. It got so bad that I literally got physically sick every time that I started to drive home from work, because I dreaded seeing the mailbox that I had to pass as I pulled into our driveway, knowing that there would be another ugly, nasty, and scarey letter from an attorney accusing us of shameful and nightmarish crap.

We got down to where we were so far in debt by using up every asset we had and maxing out our credit just to cover our attorney's bills that we were so far in debt that it left us in a great big financial hole. The whole thing was emotionally devestating and took both of us so far down that we were barely functioning in our jobs, and that effected both of our incomes, so we went from a decent income to very inadequate incomes. The person trying to sue us was my husband's Mother, and it was mentally damaging to us both. It broke our hearts, our spirits, our lives, our well earned and looked forward to retirement, and our wrenched our souls dry. My husband had just turned 60, and I 54. The law suit ended when we informed his Mother's attorneys that they could keep suing all that they wanted because we were filing bankruptsy and that they could duke it out for whatever was left with out creditors. Amazingly when she found out that there was no money to get out of us, she dropped her law suit. Hubby's Dad had been dead for 9 months when his Mother sued us saying that we caused his Dad's death because we had moved away from the St. Louis area to Denver, and she wanted financial compensation from us for his death! It was an unbelievable night mare.

We are starting all over again from less than nothing and both are having to file bankruptsy ... at our ages.

We are surviving and we fighting to rebuild our lives and go beyond it! I am telling you to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, get yourself together, drop the pity party (even though you are entitled to it) and spend your energies in ways to get out of the mess you are in and on with making something of your life! We are doing it on sheer DETERMINATION! I am 58 years old and he is 65. He increased his income this year by $15,000. through sweat, blood, guts and sheer determination! I have found a way to get into Nursing from the ground floor up, working my way as a CNA and will let nothing stop me from getting at least my LPN!

You HAVE something! You have your education, skills, and experience! Use it! You don't have to start from scratch because you have a marketable profession and experience. Get the he** out of that little town, and get on with creating a life! It is YOUR CHOICE what happens from here. No one can stop you but YOU! There are jobs in clinics, hospitals, other LTCs and the insurance industry is clammoring for nurses to be case workers. You also could get some advanced education. You might be surprised to find that you like other areas of nursing better that your past experience. Quit thinking negatively that you can't and start thinking about ways that you CAN! Get you mind on positive things that you can DO and start thinking of ways to get them done.

God bless you! :)

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Specializes in LTC and MED-SURG.
That is age descrimination, and it is illegal. Get an attorney and go for it. You have a right to work until you croak.

I am 58 and just starting into my nursing education.

Glad to know I'm not alone. I 50something also and will be starting LPN school in April and hope to go on to RN.

To Malt123: I haven't read all the posts yet, so this may have already been suggested. You mentioned being "stuck in this small town without a car". Is moving or working in a larger city an option?

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Malt,

Three years ago hubby and I lost everything that we worked all of our lives for, defending ourselves in a frivilous lawsuit that never made it to court. This pre-lawsuit bashing by the attorneys of our accuser went on for four years. All during those four years we had to constantly pay an attorney to represent us. He was answering a minimum 2 new letters, court filings, and untruthful accusations per month from our accuser's attorney. It got so bad that I literally got physically sick every time that I started to drive home from work, because I dreaded seeing the mailbox that I had to pass as I pulled into our driveway, knowing that there would be another ugly, nasty, and scarey letter from an attorney accusing us of shameful and nightmarish crap.

We got down to where we were so far in debt by using up every asset we had and maxing out our credit just to cover our attorney's bills that we were so far in debt that it left us in a great big financial hole. The whole thing was emotionally devestating and took both of us so far down that we were barely functioning in our jobs, and that effected both of our incomes, so we went from a decent income to very inadequate incomes. The person trying to sue us was my husband's Mother, and it was mentally damaging to us both. It broke our hearts, our spirits, our lives, our well earned and looked forward to retirement, and our wrenched our souls dry. My husband had just turned 60, and I 54. The law suit ended when we informed his Mother's attorneys that they could keep suing all that they wanted because we were filing bankruptsy and that they could duke it out for whatever was left with out creditors. Amazingly when she found out that there was no money to get out of us, she dropped her law suit. Hubby's Dad had been dead for 9 months when his Mother sued us saying that we caused his Dad's death because we had moved away from the St. Louis area to Denver, and she wanted financial compensation from us for his death! It was an unbelievable night mare.

We are starting all over again from less than nothing and both are having to file bankruptsy ... at our ages.

We are surviving and we fighting to rebuild our lives and go beyond it! I am telling you to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, get yourself together, drop the pity party (even though you are entitled to it) and spend your energies in ways to get out of the mess you are in and on with making something of your life! We are doing it on sheer DETERMINATION! I am 58 years old and he is 65. He increased his income this year by $15,000. through sweat, blood, guts and sheer determination! I have found a way to get into Nursing from the ground floor up, working my way as a CNA and will let nothing stop me from getting at least my LPN!

You HAVE something! You have your education, skills, and experience! Use it! You don't have to start from scratch because you have a marketable profession and experience. Get the he** out of that little town, and get on with creating a life! It is YOUR CHOICE what happens from here. No one can stop you but YOU! There are jobs in clinics, hospitals, other LTCs and the insurance industry is clammoring for nurses to be case workers. You also could get some advanced education. You might be surprised to find that you like other areas of nursing better that your past experience. Quit thinking negatively that you can't and start thinking about ways that you CAN! Get you mind on positive things that you can DO and start thinking of ways to get them done.

God bless you! :)

That is terrible! It's unbelievable that someone would do something so crazy and to their own child. Is that woman in her right mind? Too bad you couldn't get compensation from her for the damage she has done to you.

God bless you!

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Malt123, are you able to do agency work?

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That is terrible! It's unbelievable that someone would do something so crazy and to their own child. Is that woman in her right mind? Too bad you couldn't get compensation from her for the damage she has done to you.

God bless you!

Thank you for your thoughts. It really took me some time and hard self help work to get over it. Depression? Oh, yes! I would be walking down the isle in a grocery store and find myself crying for no reason. I would wake up in the morning with tears and sobs, could not discuss it in any way without deep sobs coming from no where, and I just shook inside like I was falling off a cliff ... the entire four years.

She was diagnosed with only "slight" dementia.

I am 95% fine now, but I am not looking forward to working in Nursing Homes, because I know the true harm that can be done by false accusations, and my elder experience was truly devastating. I know I'm most likely going to have to do it, but not without great reservation. I'm down right afraid.

I know that Malt can make her life work, though. If I can get on with it, anyone can, and I wish her all the strength, determination, and positive creative thought in the world!

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Malt, could you work as a nursing assistant instead of as an LPN? (I am confused--are you an RN or LPN?) Heck, could you be a bartender, housekeeper or waiter? Security guard?

What about school nursing, or home health aide, or dispensing in a methadone clinic, or working in a clinic set up for homeless people? Or on a reservation?

Man, licensed nursing is not your only option--is it?

I've known lots of guys who moonlighted as bartenders or security guards. At least it pays the bills.

yes licensed nursing is my only option or I might as well be dead, I "Hate Bars" and I am an RN, housekeeping I have done that all my life and I can't stand it any more, my mind is just as important as my body, if at this late date I had to settle for working as a CNA give me a lethal injection

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I am 95% fine now...

I don't always agree with you, but darn do I ever admire you! :)

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