42 Years Old - Is it too late to become a nurse?

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Same here akulahawk... I weighted my options between med school and nursing and because of age and family consideration I chose BsN (my 3rd bachelor degree). Finished school at 48... my first year of nursing was like "what in the world did I get myself into".. nursing is physically and mentally draining therefore be careful what you wish for. It does get better if you find your right place. The good thing about nursing is that there are so many options out there that you can choose from (it's tough to get in though as most of the good spots are already taken). Do a lot of research before applying to school and google why some people left the nursing career for good. Nursing is not for the faint of heart and it's not for everyone. Hope that helps...

It's not to late. I'm 47 and finishing my first semester of Nursing school after 25 years in the Army. It's hard getting used to studying again, but I have much better focus now than when I was in my late teens/early 20s. Go for your dreams!

Specializes in RN. Med/Surg.

In 2006, I was laid off after 34 years and became a nursing student at the age of 53. Ten years l'm working Med/Surg in a hospital. Going back to school wasn't bad for me, however being a male in the program of mostly 20-25 year old women took a bit of adjustment.

You are never too old! I just finished Block 1 and I'm 55 and there were 2 people in my class a little bit older than me. It's never too late to follow your dreams.

You're an inspiration to me. If all goes as planned I will graduate with my BSN in Dec 2018 at 57 years young!

To all the the 40s and over. Thank you for sharing. You're all an inspiration. Sometimes I question myself if I can make it through, and reading your posts validate that it's never too late for our age.

That's 5 years of schooling (3 at CC and 2 at a private university). I live in an area where it's very competitive and difficult to get into nursing programs. I wanted to continue unempeded...I chose a school that I knew I could get into if I jumped through all the hoops and it worked! Many friends had to reapply over and over and it took a couple of years to get into school...some called me crazy but I got my BSN 2 years before they did. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...

I've already replied about how I'm 55 and just finished block 1. Some people mentioned the expense but I'm doing a nursing program at a community college and my bachelors in nursing at a university online at the same time. It's very affordable. If you really want to become a nurse and you have a great support system you can do it! This is my second career and the career I really wanted to do when I was young but for different reasons did not pursue it. Now that my kids are grown I get to pursue my dream career.

Don't do it! At 42 years old you will still have at least 5, maybe 6 years before you get your Bachelor's Degree, which you will need in order to get hired. This will bring you close to 50 and unless you plan on retiring at 75, expect to work for the rest of your life. In any event, you will need at least one year experience in the hospital setting to get any type of permanent position which can take a few years to accomplish. Before you know it, you'll be 50 in a field recruiting 25-year-old new graduates.

I can only give you my opinion based on my experiences. I decided to "start a new career" at 43 and it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. After nearly 5 years, first taking all the required prerequisites (sciences have a 10-year expiration so any science you've taken in college years ago, will have expired and you will have to take them over) then getting through a two-year nursing school program, and finally passing the NCLEX on the first attempt, I was still not able to be considered to be hired unless I enrolled in a Bachelor's program, which I did.

After enrolling at a state university and beginning the program the best I could get was a job in a nursing home with a 40-1 patient-nurse ratio. Since I was a new nurse, I couldn't keep up with the 3 minute per patient med pass pace and it did not work out well. I resigned before I ended up losing my license. After many attempts to get hired at a hospital, I took another Nursing position at a nursing home, this time as a charge nurse. Unfortunately for me, my med pass nurse had a med error and in the nursing field, if a med-pass nurse is fired so is the charge nurse, since I was responsible for what she does.

So, at this point, at 48, I have no references, no hospital experience and I still don't have my Bachelor's degree. But here is the worst part; I can no longer afford to finish school so I am one semester shy of graduating. I cannot afford to "look for work" which is a full-time job in and of itself sending out resumes one hundred at a time, and I have spent my life savings to the point where I live day to day working part time as an auto technician, the field I spent 20+ years in and what got me to the point of deciding to become a nurse.

Moreover, I hate being a nurse. Go on any thread here and you will read all the horror stories, and they're all true. Overworked, overtaxed, understaffed and under-resourced. And no matter what I do, how I do it, it always seems to be wrong. Don't do it that way, do it this way. Don't do it this way, do it that way! You document too much, you don't document enough, you need an order for that, you don't need an order for that, whatever!

I'm done with it. I am 50 years old now. I wasted eight years of my life and a hundred thousand dollars. I alienated all my friends and family buried in books and sleeping in the library, studied all night for tests that have no correct answers, only most correct, and wrote papers on subjects I couldn't care less about; all for nothing.

I worked nights and slept away my days and I never even finished obtaining my Bachelor's. Soon my registered nurse license will expire and I have no desire to renew it. I went back to my old field, I now work full time repairing cars, overhauling transmissions, diagnosing check engine lights and doing head gaskets on Dodge Durango 3.7 liter engines at least once a month. And I love it. I should have never left the field.

I'm giving you the other side of the coin. Sure, it's noble to grant you best wishes, "go for it," you only live once. There are so many success stories to go by. But there is not always a happy ending. Think long and hard about it before you take the plunge because the day you start nursing school you will be treading water and one dosage calculation problem could mean sink or swim. But that's just one man's opinion.

Hello! It is NEVER too late. I am 50, working on a second degree (BSN) and have just finished my junior year. You can do this! Several of my classmates have children, a prior degree, and are various ages. I say it is better to have tried than to look back and wish you had. Best wishes!

I am 53 and just completed the first year of my program. It is doable. Just go for it.

With God all things are possible. Your situation is yours, not hers.

God bless you in your struggles.

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