NP: Age limit?

[romantic]

Hello all Advanced Practice Nurses,

What is the age limit to apply to NP program in your opinion? When do you think is late to do so? Is 50 late? 55? What is the rate of success in this field for the nurses older than 50?

Thank you!

romanti

[Apothika]

On 9/11/2020 at 3:44 PM, myoglobin said:

I work 1099 from home as a Washington state PMHNP and earned 17K this month seeing clients three days per week.  

Hi @myoglobin! Thanks for all the great info/posts in this thread - I’m in AZ and very interested in PMHNP, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to handle the stress of dealing with people who have been through serious trauma. I don’t want to sound like a selfish jerk or anything, I’d love to be the one to help those people, but even things I’ve read or heard on the news stick with me a really long time and I think about them frequently. I think it’s a valid concern - but maybe I’m over-imagining the rate this would occur at? And maybe you learn to compartmentalize? Thanks for any insights into your day to day work!! 

[Care]

FullGlass said:

Thank you! No, you are not too old. Nursing is also my 2nd career. I started ABSN at age 53, went straight through to MSN NP, graduating at age 56. Got 9 job offers, all in the six figures. After about 1.5 years of NP experience, got job offers from $135K to $165K.

As others have comments, life experience and looking a little older can be a big asset for a provider.

With regard to cost of education, older individuals typically have more financial resources, so can pay more cash and require less loans. They may also be able to utilize a home equity line of credit, which is a lower interest rate than student loans. Your employer may also pay for part of your education.

There are also a lot of scholarships available. The HRSA Nurse Corps Scholarship is a full ride scholarship that even includes a living stipend, in return for working in an underserved area for 2-4 years. Many states have the equivalent program for state residents. Underserved does not mean just rural areas - it includes inner city areas, as well as smaller cities and towns. There are also scholarships offered by private entities such as J&J, various NP associations, etc. Most schools also have scholarships available for their students.

Good luck!

I'm trying to get to NP Program as second career 

I like to hear from anyone that tried accelerated NP Program & they r in their 50s 

it would be great to hear some encouragement bc I've seen mostly negative talk from nurses unfortunately!