Too Young?

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 8, 2006

i am a 24 year old fnp student; been an rn for a little over a year on an open heart/telemetry unit. i just completed my first semester of fnp school; passed with flying colors; but yet i often find myself feeling very inadequate in class. many times i will not speak up during class discussions because i'm always afraid the older, more experienced nurses will look down on me. i don't want this to affect my np education, nor my clinical experiences or practice upon graduation. i have always been a very hard-working, dedicated student and nurse; i love nursing and have always desired to continue my education. it is just difficult when you're in with nurses who've had 15-20 years of experience against your year and half. i keep going though, because this is my goal and i want to achieve it; it would just be nice if those old feelings of inadequacy didn't creep up every now and then.

hello, lovern,

i am just wondering here? are your feelings of inadequacy based on age or the fact you have had only 1 year of rn experience? i am not implying you are inadequate due to this experience, just wanted to ask. there is a thread about the individual desiring to be np with zero rn experience before starting an np program. your comments made me think of this thread and i was wanting you to clarify your remarks. check out this thread:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f34/np-w-no-desire-rn-128278.html

congratulations on your great progress in the np program.:)

HillNPStudent · Jan 10, 2006

hello, lovern,
i am just wondering here? are your feelings of inadequacy based on age or the fact you have had only 1 year of rn experience? i am not implying you are inadequate due to this experience, just wanted to ask. there is a thread about the individual desiring to be np with zero rn experience before starting an np program. your comments made me think of this thread and i was wanting you to clarify your remarks. check out this thread:
https://allnurses.com/forums/f34/np-w-no-desire-rn-128278.html
congratulations on your great progress in the np program.:)

to clarify my post, i would say that my feelings of inadequacy amongst my fnp classmates often come from comparing my rn experience with theirs. it can be quite intimidating to be amongst seasoned nurses with 15+ years of experience, yet i feel quite competent in my skills and abilities as a nurse. i am not saying that i am an expert nurse by any means. i did check out the np thread you listed; however, i am not entering into the np program with zero rn experience, in fact, upon graduation i will have done 3+ years of bedside nursing. i also did not enter into this profession with the sole intention of becoming an np; however, i did always know that i would continue my education beyond a bsn. i chose nursing, one reason being, for the flexibility and availability of job opportunities, and having an advanced degree will allow me that.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 10, 2006

To clarify my post, I would say that my feelings of inadequacy amongst my FNP classmates often come from comparing my RN experience with theirs. It can be quite intimidating to be amongst seasoned nurses with 15+ years of experience, yet I feel quite competent in my skills and abilities as a nurse. I am not saying that I am an expert nurse by any means. I did check out the NP thread you listed; however, I am not entering into the NP program with ZERO RN experience, in fact, upon graduation I will have done 3+ years of bedside nursing. I also did not enter into this profession with the sole intention of becoming an NP; however, I did always know that I would continue my education beyond a BSN. I chose nursing, one reason being, for the flexibility and availability of job opportunities, and having an advanced degree will allow me that.

Hello, LOVERN,

I was hesitant to even ask you to clarify. I didn't want it to appear I was giving any implication of any lack of experience. No, no. That's not what I was doing. Also, the only reason I suggested the thread was to let you see many who seek NP are licensed RNs who have zero experience (not your case at all). You saw there were many who thought you needed years and years of experience as RN beforehand and many who thought you needed zero and that previous experience had no direct outcome on your success as an NP.

I just wanted to see what you thought about that, too. I suppose I wanted you to add to that thread about your opinion.

As for feeling intimidated by the "seasoned" RNs, don't be. I am sure you have much to offer and have already developed the NP "way of thinking". Congratulations on choosing such a promising career.

HillNPStudent · Jan 11, 2006

Hello, LOVERN,
I was hesitant to even ask you to clarify. I didn't want it to appear I was giving any implication of any lack of experience. No, no. That's not what I was doing. Also, the only reason I suggested the thread was to let you see many who seek NP are licensed RNs who have zero experience (not your case at all). You saw there were many who thought you needed years and years of experience as RN beforehand and many who thought you needed zero and that previous experience had no direct outcome on your success as an NP.
I just wanted to see what you thought about that, too. I suppose I wanted you to add to that thread about your opinion.
As for feeling intimidated by the "seasoned" RNs, don't be. I am sure you have much to offer and have already developed the NP "way of thinking". Congratulations on choosing such a promising career.

Thank you for your reply and questions. I guess I sometimes it's easy to compare yourself to others in the same profession and feel inadequate. I need to just remember the value of my own RN experience and all that I have learned as a nurse, as we all have different experiences to bring to the table. I am in the process of trying to transfer to another unit to add a bit of variety to my experience. I have applied to transfer to both ER or ICU; and if that doesn't work out than a pediatric position is available at my hospital. I feel that I should broaden my horizons so to speak; that way I'd have good experience in cardiac as well as other areas. I feel this would aid in my NP practice once I graduate as I could have bedside experience with a variety of ages and conditions. Thanks for your thoughts.

cincygirlpnp · Jan 18, 2006

I became a full-time and successful PNP at the age of 24! Some of my first pts would tease me saying things like, "You don't look old enough to be out of high school!" (which is true- I still get carded for ETOH and even some rated R movies!). However, it wasn't hard to "prove" myself to them. My younger age actually helped me in some cases. The older MD's/ NP's in the practice had a more difficult time dealing with teenagers and younger parents. Teenagers love me because they perceive that I understand them better- being closer to their age. I have actually had moms tell me they feel much more free to ask me "stupid" questions because I'm closer to their age and don't appear to be so formidable. Older mom's say they feel more comfortable with me. They perceive some older providers as "know-it-alls," and state that I am more open to other alternatives and am more perceptive with their personal needs. Some people think of Dr's as so powerful and are intimidated by them, and it is hard (as a parent) to be intimidated by someone who looks about 18 years old. I will say it is more difficult to get respect from older MD collegues and even other NP's at times. There are a few parents who just can't get past the age thing, but over-all, it hasn't hindered me in any major way.

HillNPStudent · Jan 23, 2006

I became a full-time and successful PNP at the age of 24! Some of my first pts would tease me saying things like, "You don't look old enough to be out of high school!" (which is true- I still get carded for ETOH and even some rated R movies!). However, it wasn't hard to "prove" myself to them. My younger age actually helped me in some cases. The older MD's/ NP's in the practice had a more difficult time dealing with teenagers and younger parents. Teenagers love me because they perceive that I understand them better- being closer to their age. I have actually had moms tell me they feel much more free to ask me "stupid" questions because I'm closer to their age and don't appear to be so formidable. Older mom's say they feel more comfortable with me. They perceive some older providers as "know-it-alls," and state that I am more open to other alternatives and am more perceptive with their personal needs. Some people think of Dr's as so powerful and are intimidated by them, and it is hard (as a parent) to be intimidated by someone who looks about 18 years old. I will say it is more difficult to get respect from older MD collegues and even other NP's at times. There are a few parents who just can't get past the age thing, but over-all, it hasn't hindered me in any major way.

Just curious...did you work while in school and if so, what kinds of units?

RN06-NP09 · Feb 19, 2006

Age should never be a matter when it comes to education. Like another poster said, people will respect you for your knowledge, competency, and professionalism.

I am 21 yrs old finishing my BSN this year (through an accelerated program) and planning to work for 1 year to meet the requirement to apply for NP school. So by the time I am an NP, I will be 24 or 25......

Good Luck

lateen808 · Sep 24, 2006

well if ur aunt think u are gonna be too young now i a worried because i am going to get my bsn at the age off 22 and i lan on going to graduate school to become a nurse practitioner in neonatal...am i too young?

Trauma Columnist · Sep 24, 2006

I think age is all in how you present yourself. I just became a CNS at the age of 47 with 16 years of nursing experience - almost all in critical care. This has given me instant respectability: because I'm old and experienced. However, I am still new to the APN role and still check and double-check my orders. (Its like being a new grad again - lol).

Maverick80 · Sep 24, 2006

I just heard last week in fact from the school that I'm obtaining my BSN from that they are starting a FNP program that will be set to start in 2007. They are not requiring 2 years of experience to get in the program. I asked why and they said they are trying to get younger nurses to get advanced degree's sooner. They want to encourage nurses to go on and get a master's degree. When a lot of nurses become an APN they only have 10-15 years of practice left. So i guess they are trying to change this.

I say go ahead and do what makes you happy.

lateen808 · Sep 24, 2006

thank you very much for the replies but another concern mine is i am interested in become a NNP and i was just wondering if i need experience to become one or i can just go straight to school for it.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Sep 24, 2006

thank you very much for the replies but another concern mine is i am interested in become a NNP and i was just wondering if i need experience to become one or i can just go straight to school for it.

You need two years of NICU experience as a nurse before you can start your neonatal NP clinicals. You can start taking graduate school classes during the two years you are working, but the actual hands-on clinical stuff has to wait until you have experience.

Honestly, it would be impossible to be a GOOD neonatal NP without any nursing experience! You don't learn NICU at all in nursing school! You learn everything on the job as an RN. In order to be an NNP, you have to understand neonatal care very well, and that's just not possible right out of your BSN program. These are babies' lives you'll be dealing with - shortcuts are NOT a good idea.