Newbie grateful for any advice

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Hello all,

This is my first post, so please bear with me. I'm looking for advice regarding a career shift into nursing. I've been a lab tech (cytotechnologist) for 24 years, so I'm closing in on the big 50 birthday. I have considered nursing for a while; I've always admired how they care for patients and have always thought it must be interesting to be able to work in so many different health care settings. I just had a few questions:

Am I too old to go back to school to be an RN?

Is there really a 'nurses eat their young' mentality?

Does being a male really matter?

Do you have to 'pay your dues' by working as a general med/surg RN for a few years before you can pick an area you are interested in (ie oncology nursing or pain management)?

Lastly, anyone have any suggestions for the RN program at onondaga community college; I REALLY want to succeed!

I am willing to work VERY hard to be a good nurse and to try my absolute best to help people who are suffering. I'm just not sure if someone who is my age should make such a career shift. My mind tells me 'go for it!' but I don't want to be completely unrealistic. Anyone else have a similar experience entered nursing at middle-age???

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Specializes in NICU.

Am I too old to go back to school to be an RN? If you still have a pulse, then it is not too late. I graduated at 48 with my BSN.

Is there really a 'nurses eat their young' mentality? Most will say there is no NETY on a routine basis. There will always be nasty, unhappy people in every profession.

Does being a male really matter? Never had an issue. I am 1 of 2 male nurses in a 300 nurse NICU unit.

Do you have to 'pay your dues' by working as a general med/surg RN for a few years before you can pick an area you are interested in (ie oncology nursing or pain management)? Not if you are able to find a job in a specialty that you are interested in. I started in NICU as a new grad.

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Hey!

Thank you so much for your insight! It just seems like starting out in nursing is pretty daunting and there are a lot of things to consider!

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Specializes in NICU.
Hey!

Thank you so much for your insight! It just seems like starting out in nursing is pretty daunting and there are a lot of things to consider!

Then you came to the right place. There are many people here that are willing to help guide you through nursing school and throughout your career. Some of the advice may be not what you want to hear, but is what you need to hear.

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Specializes in Peri-op.

Thank you for your responses. I was wondering about some of the same questions. I will be 40 when I start school.

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