Hi everyone. I am new here and so far I really enjoy the information and experiences that everyone is sharing.
I just turned 35 years old in Jan and after years of not knowing what I wanted after I left the Navy, I have finally chosen the one career that my Great-Grand mother told me that I was going to be. Matter of fact every since I was a little girl she would always ask me, "So, you are going to be a nurse like Florence Nightingale, right?". And I would always tell her that I would.
So far, I have really liked what I've learned and have even passed my A&P I with an A. I have always liked feeling like I am making a difference in people's lives and I want to help people get better physically as well as emotionally and spiritually.
Are there any other 30 something year old people out there that have just now chosen nursing as their career and do you ever feel like sometimes you may be too late in choosing although you know there is no way that you want to stop now? (Sometimes I feel that way)
I'm 42 and will be 43 this year. I started nursing school last year and just began my core classes in January. It's harder keeping up with the 20-something's in my class but I love it and wouldn't want to do anything else in life right now. Good luck and enjoy nursing school!
To RHITtoRN: (Sorry this is long) I wanted to write you privately, but perhaps others will benefit from this. I also experienced something similar. In my case, a teacher who had informed me early in my RN portion that I had no business working full time and going to nursing school, was determined that I was incompetent and wouldn't make a good nurse. Throughout the first rotation I kept asking her to give me patients with whom I could practice nursing skills, ie, foley, NG tube, trach care etc, as I had only had injections and dressing changes, both of which I did regularly working as an LPN. The final patient of the course that she assigned me had just about every problem, and she assigned me to her alone. This patient was non verbal and in terrible pain (so moaning and groaning), she was diabetic and had a gastric tube (those are the ones sewn into the belly, not through the nose), she had a triple lumen femoral line (that means an IV going into a large vessel in her groin that had 3 ports, so 3 different things could be run at once) and had a cardiac drip running (drips drip because you need a tiny bit constantly, no bolus, no stop). This poor lady also had an advanced sacral decubitus (bad bed sore on her butt) and also on both heels. To top it off, because of her non-mobility and skin risk, she was on a clinitron bed that pumps up in different places with air to alleviate pressure in any one place, thus causing a skin break down. These beds are very hard to move patients on. She was due to be turned every 2 hours. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't know where to start. I was late giving meds, nervous (and making mistakes because of that) giving her crushed medicine through the gastric tube, unable to help with her pain or communicate with her effectively. What was more, it was almost the 2 hour mark, and I couldn't get anyone to help me turn her. I asked all of my classmates (we all got along well, but everyone looks out for themselves in nursing school), then all of the CNA's on the floor, then the nurses, then my instructor, who told me to ask my classmates. I went through again (now we are over the 2 hours) and she told me to ask a certain classmate who had a walking, talking, overall easy patient on whom he was doing a care plan. He agreed to help me when he was done, which wouldn't be for awhile. So, now, over the 2 hour time (dinged for that of course) I tried to turn the patient myself. I turned her, moved to wedge a pillow to hold her, and when she started to roll back to the original position I tried to catch her and hurt my back. I couldn't stand up straight, much less finish clinicals that day. My instructor failed me. I was so hurt, bitter, and angry I wanted nothing to do with even my classmates, though they sympathized with me and agreed it was not fair. Then I went to a sister school, found a completely different environment (my first clinical we were to choose our own patient, I, in terror, picked one that paralleled the previous case--the wonderful lady who was my instructor, gently praised me for being willing to jump right in, but suggested that I start with something a little less challenging,) and thus continued my experience there. Now I am a diligent, hard working, detail oriented, caring nurse, and I will never, ever treat a new person or student nurse the way that worthless instructor did. In retrospect, that teacher used to call the clinical site "killer general" obviously saying the hospital that was kind enough to let us practice on their patients was not good. She also stopped that cardiac drip (remember the one that drips because you need a tiny bit all of the time?) to run an antibiotic, even though the TRIPLE LUMEN femoral line gave us 2 additional ports to choose from, and I am sure, had I not been so terror stricken and traumatized, that I would have found she made many many mistakes that could cost patients dearly, because, my friend, remember this, when you make a mistake, hundreds and thousands of people before you have made the same mistake. When your response is to jump on people when they make a mistake, then your response to a mistake you make is to hide it, not fix it. The good nurses are the ones who work to eliminate human error by fixing the system, not by punishing the human. Good luck to you. I hope you end up having a good experience through this.
I am now 38 and just passed my boards. This is an exciting opportunity. If you love nursing and want to make a difference I have seen people in their fifties in nursing school. Don't give up because of age. I was in school with 3 people in their 50s and they all graduated. The fact that you want to be a nurse and make a difference is key. There are those in nursing just in it for the money. I realized taking my boards the second time that I had to focus on the skills I had not the fears about error or the money I would make. Keep a good focus and don't let anyone subvert you. Your passion will drive you and your compassion and caring will be your reason for going on. Age is just a number. My mom is 68 and still doing nursing work. Keep on trucking!
Specializes in Cardiology (ITU), Acute Renal/Dialysis.
Thank you for the words of encouragement.
Congrats on getting to the nursing school portion and best of luck to you!
And it is gutsy to go a different career route after the 20's. But once we hit out 30's, we get gutsy anyway.
Its great if thats what you want to do - go for it! I really do hope you enjoy your career. However, sorry to be the realist amongst you all but it was the worst thing I ever did! I love to nurse but not being a nurse amongst nurses! i have been bullied,mostly by managers who allow the clicks to flourish, making them the next generation of bullying managers. Musnt generalise but in 8 yrs, thats been my experience & others.
GOOD LUCK, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, DON'T TOLERATE BULLYING!
PS I started at 35 & am now 44. I am ill with the stress & desperate to leave but am trapped due to financial circumstances & no promotional opportunities right now.I'm digging my heels in and waiting another 12-18 months til a couple of other options rear their ugly heads x goodluck
Good luck Pussycat--we have been struggling with that in our department, but we have had a few strong good people who have really made a difference. Our unit 6 months ago was miserable. It is so much better now. There is a LOT of info out there about nurses bullying. Can you ask your nurse educator for you department if you can do a seminar on nurse bullying, including realistic examples, and then during the seminar, have the people act out both inappropriate and appropriate ways to communicate. There was even an article in AORN not too long ago, approx when the changes started happening in our department. I wish you would try this. The bullying HAS to stop. Aside from making the victims lives miserable, intimidation keeps nurses from being able to effectively provide safe care for the patients. It keeps them from speaking up when something is wrong, stresses them out so they may miss something important. It is causing a safety issue, so get your risk management department involved, and your human resources department involved. If you approach it like, hey we desperately need some education about this, can I do a seminar, they should only see that as positive. If you are interested, I have been really wanting to do a program like this, even though ours is so much better now, because a friend of mine is in a different unit with the same problem--I would love to work on it with you. Just let me know
Specializes in Cardiology (ITU), Acute Renal/Dialysis.
Good luck Pussycat--we have been struggling with that in our department, but we have had a few strong good people who have really made a difference. Our unit 6 months ago was miserable. It is so much better now. There is a LOT of info out there about nurses bullying. Can you ask your nurse educator for you department if you can do a seminar on nurse bullying, including realistic examples, and then during the seminar, have the people act out both inappropriate and appropriate ways to communicate. There was even an article in AORN not too long ago, approx when the changes started happening in our department. I wish you would try this. The bullying HAS to stop. Aside from making the victims lives miserable, intimidation keeps nurses from being able to effectively provide safe care for the patients. It keeps them from speaking up when something is wrong, stresses them out so they may miss something important. It is causing a safety issue, so get your risk management department involved, and your human resources department involved. If you approach it like, hey we desperately need some education about this, can I do a seminar, they should only see that as positive. If you are interested, I have been really wanting to do a program like this, even though ours is so much better now, because a friend of mine is in a different unit with the same problem--I would love to work on it with you. Just let me know
Thank you so much for that! Atleast I know (and others) that there is apossible way of combating the problem in a good way that will benefit all and hopefully both highlight the problem, the bullies & make them think twice let them know that their very clever, subtle ways are being noted & nipped before, like you say, a very serious safety issue arises. Thank you again, I will let you know what happens next you have given me hope! :redbeathe
Hon, I just got accepted and I am 57 (will turn 58 this year) and start my nursing classes this Monday night. It is never to late to follow your dream. This is what I have wanted to do my entire life. I wish I was younger, but - I am going for it. Time will keep going by and we can just sit and say, I wish....I wish.....I wish, and by the time the years have flown by, we could have already graduated and been working. Best of luck to you sweetie!:)
Pussycat--you are so very very welcome. let me know if I can help. Just steel yourself with that thought--it is creating a patient safety issue, and we as a department and a facility would be lax if we don't fix it. I can't tell you how much better ours is. Good luck!!!!! and good for you for not giving up!:yeah:i'll be thinking about you.:heartbeat
I am 31 and am hoping to start my pre-req's this fall. I have never been in college, but have a very good paying job regardless. I have always wanted to be a nurse but college wasn't for me way back when. Now I want to be an example to my children.
Now if I can only get my husband on board instead of trying to figure out how to pay for it myself!
tallystudentnurse
4 Posts
I'm 42 and will be 43 this year. I started nursing school last year and just began my core classes in January. It's harder keeping up with the 20-something's in my class but I love it and wouldn't want to do anything else in life right now. Good luck and enjoy nursing school!