Ages of male nursing students?

[Stearnsy]

Of the 23 other students comprising the group that I entered nursing school with, three of them are men. The class that is graduating at the end of next week I believe has 1 male student, and as far as I know the class immediately behind mine has 1 as well. This is about 60 students (some classes have had students drop), with 6 of them being males; that's only 1 in 10.

So we know that male nurses are few and far between, but how old are we?

The 1 student in the class graduating next week is 28.

The 1 student in the class that entered the semester after mine is at least 30 (a second career-er I believe).

Of the 4 in my class, 2 are about 45, 1 is 40, and then there is me...21.

How old are you guys? How old when you started school?

Just curious.

Stearnsy

[jagfan25]

Just got accepted into ADN program. Starts in March and I will be 48, will be 50 years old when I graduate and I am ready for the next 50 as a nurse!

[A New Start]

I started nursing at the tender age of 36 and have worked as a CNA with a passion for 6 years. i am now 41 and have just applied to nursing school after completing pre-requisites. Overall average for all nurses is 45 maybe a little more. Nursing is a career group that is aging fast along with the population. My opinion is that being young in nursing is a handicap. You want to be respectful to your elders as patients and nursing peers, but you have got to stand up for yourself and push for doing the MD orders as well as acting on your professional judgement. You have to overcome idea that everyone has an opnion, some are appropriate and some are not. some opinions are just self serving and some are more objectified. Dealing with the problem of patient care will come with age.

In school, i have been the old man on the block. At work, I am in the typical age range. I don work with a few men, most age from mid thirities to early fifities. My expectations for nursing school is that I will be the old man of the class.

Love the attitude! You'll like being the "old man"! Your gray hair will help you cheat all the way through school. You've either had most of the procedures done to you or a family member. Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating! HaHa!

I'm 53 and chose to get my CNA cert and then my LVN. I'll graduate LVN in August and will immediately enter into transitions for ADN. Hope to work some while doing the ADN thing though.

The kids will push you along too. They'll look up to you and see how you're doing. Don't kid yourself. The pace is tough. When the kids get tired and want to quit, I love to tell em "I got socks older than you! Pull up those big girl panties and lets go!" The boys hate that!

Your age will buy you some respect too, if you're respectable. I kind of feel for the young ones when an instructor, or Dr treats them bad. They don't usually do that but once or twice with me.

Finally, you're right about opinions. Hitler had bad opinions, and he had to be stopped. Churchill "Evil prevails when good men do nothing."

Good Luck, and keep us informed!

[JordanB]

Was 20 when I started and 22 when I graduated and got my license.

[Protonprimary]

I entered at 45, passed the NCLEX last week at 46 and a half (75 questions and all the tutorial and survey stuff in under forty minutes - yay. sorry, still doing that little dance.), and will complete my Direct Entry Master's program when I'm 47. This is my 3rd or 4th career, and I'm loving it.

My age is such a non-issue at school and socially with my class mates - I don't party as late as they can, but they study better than I do and I feel very much part of the gang. The only real time my age is relevant is when it's time for trivia games and having been 'round the block' gives me some advantage. (That and 3 other previous degrees.)

My path is a little different than some here, as I am studying to be a nurse practitioner - for primary family practice where some of the physical demands may be less than floor nursing, but the intellectual demand is there.

I am delighted when all people feel comfortable planning and pursuing their interests and their dreams without letting either their gender or their age inhibit them from their goals - especially in a profession such as health care, where people with a true passion for helping others is what it's all about.

--Thomas

[Th0r]

Started when I was 22 and Ill be 23 by the time I graduate. Really can't wait to start

[UpstateNY_RN]

Started when I was 17 fresh out of high school, graduated at age of 19, passed my boards in 39 minutes with 75 questions still at the lovely age of 19.

[jsh431]

Trying to get in at 28. Went back to school at 26. Hope to be done by 31.

[sserrn, BSN]

22 and 3/4 now...applying to an A-BSN program in fall, so hopefully I'll be 24 when I graduate!

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I began my career at the tender age of 14yr. as a nurses aid, then LPN, RN, BSN, MSN and now I'm going for the CNL program and still love nursing with a passion:redbeathe

[squelchie]

oh hai

i entered the program @ 29 and now a year after, im reviewing for the board exam. With the wait period, who knows when i'll be done with RN.

[bigboy18]

19 yrs old here..

Entered my LPN program at 18... graduating this year May 14.

I could've worked as a nurses aid (RCA) when I was younger..but I really had no ambition to do anything back then...

[bcmedic]

I'll be 38 when I start this fall. My second career after doing 15 years in the video game industry as a software developer. I already have a degree so in Canada we can do an accelerated 2 year program to get a BScN.