Nursing School at 38...... Too old?

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Hey everyone,

So I am just wondering if there are many others who decided to head back to school in their late 30's? I am a wife and a mom of 3 and nearing 40 and I finally fell like it is time to go back to school. I finally figured out what I wanna be when I grow up!!! Lol. I have some reservations and doubts though....in my ability to get back into studying, spending the next 4-5 years in school, my ability to be a good mom and be there for everyone and still get passing grades! I also have some anxieties about taking the nursing program in French even though I am English. I am bilingual, but still think it may be more then I can handle doing it in French. The problem being, if I wait to take the program in English I will have to wait until next fall.......and.....well I am no spring chicken and really want to start sooner rather than later! Any thoughts or advice?

Hey everyone,

So I am just wondering if there are many others who decided to head back to school in their late 30's? I am a wife and a mom of 3 and nearing 40 and I finally fell like it is time to go back to school. I finally figured out what I wanna be when I grow up!!! Lol. I have some reservations and doubts though....in my ability to get back into studying, spending the next 4-5 years in school, my ability to be a good mom and be there for everyone and still get passing grades! I also have some anxieties about taking the nursing program in French even though I am English. I am bilingual, but still think it may be more then I can handle doing it in French. The problem being, if I wait to take the program in English I will have to wait until next fall.......and.....well I am no spring chicken and really want to start sooner rather than later! Any thoughts or advice?

I am 36 & just beginning. I have spent last 2 years on my pre-reqs. My projected core nursing for RN starts in jan. I am married & we have 3 kids (4-14). School, family & work have been a lot but it can be done!

I'm glad i waited because i'm more serious about grades. At 18 being an honor student wouldn't be important personally. Now i work hard for it.

You should go for it!! Much luck :)

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Hey everyone,

So I am just wondering if there are many others who decided to head back to school in their late 30's? I am a wife and a mom of 3 and nearing 40 and I finally fell like it is time to go back to school. I finally figured out what I wanna be when I grow up!!! Lol. I have some reservations and doubts though....in my ability to get back into studying, spending the next 4-5 years in school, my ability to be a good mom and be there for everyone and still get passing grades! I also have some anxieties about taking the nursing program in French even though I am English. I am bilingual, but still think it may be more then I can handle doing it in French. The problem being, if I wait to take the program in English I will have to wait until next fall.......and.....well I am no spring chicken and really want to start sooner rather than later! Any thoughts or advice?

P.S. My Grandmother went to LPN school at 55. At 79, she is still a full time nurse & it keeps her going. We have a lot of working years left :)

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I am 36 & just beginning. I have spent last 2 years on my pre-reqs. My projected core nursing for RN starts in jan. I am married & we have 3 kids (4-14). School, family & work have been a lot but it can be done!

I'm glad i waited because i'm more serious about grades. At 18 being an honor student wouldn't be important personally. Now i work hard for it.

You should go for it!! Much luck :)

Are you aware you are posting in the Canadian Forum?

RN is a four year university degree, the PN diploma a two year course. Education financing is also different.

It's admirable that your granny is still working at 79yo but the reality is most nurses retire when they reach their retirement factor up here (usually in the mid 50s). In acute care it's a rarity to see a nurse over 60, usually if they are still on the floor they entered the profession late and can't afford to retire (I'm one who will have a miniscule pension and intend to go at 61).

It's just too hard physically and mentally to go on. The energy for running around on the floor just isn't there. Desk jobs are few and far between.

I started my PN education at 40 with small children. It's very touch. You do it mostly in a blur of exhaustion. Your social life is nil, you have to decide to do your homework or go to the soccer game with your kids, help with with their homework and do you own late into the night. It can destroy marriages, in my class, we had two separations and one divorce. Yes the problems were there before school started but school just makes them worse.

It's not a decision that a mature student can make easily and every situation is different.

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Never too late, I thought I was too old to start school at 32 so I didn't but finally at 44 I decided to go for it. Second semester of the PN program and LOVING IT!!!!!! Single mom of a teenager. Once I am done I will start bridging to RN and then who knows. Skies the limit.

It is so amazing to be learning and living my passion!!! :yes:

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RN is 3 years in Quebec.

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In my state, a "2 year" nursing degree actually takes 3-4 years depending on how long it takes to complete your pre-reqs and waiting for the next program to start once that is completed. She openly asked for opinions. It can be done, that's my opinion. No matter where you live, if you want anything enough, it can be done. Time will pass even if we don't use it.

Both of my parents went through nursing when I was in high school. I know the complete sacrifice. Again, it's the same in or out of Canada. That is not relevant. This is a public forum for nursing. We are here to offer support and share opinions.

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An American opinion doesn't really count for much on the Canadian or European issues. Healthcare is entirely different as is eduction.

It's wrong to support someone if you don't understand the hurdles they may face. Do you know how educational financing works up here, what tax credits are available to students and their families? The cut-offs for daycare subsidy? The routes into our educational institutions? Our employment laws are different, our workplaces are 90% unionized. Is it right to tell someone in their 50's to study for four years at uni after spending upto two years upgrading their high school graduation papers to today's standards to go into nursing? Not really, because from your late 40s onwards you physically start to hurt. Then if (and that's a big if in this decade's employment market) they manage to find a job, they will be at the bottom of the seniority ladder, vacations are going to be in the least desirable time, no time off when the husband or kids want you, your pension is going to miniscule if you land a job that has pension benefits, if you are part time or casual it's going to take years to repay debt incurred during your education. I know this because I went back to school in my 40s with young children. My husband supported me but we still had to take loans to pay for things like childcare, my transportation and books. It can take years to pay off the loans despite being able to deduct the interest on your income tax and a few other deductions your spouse can claim while you are a student.

Anyone can say the "go girl, you can do it if you want it badly enough" mantra. But unless you understand the culture the person asking the question lives in, it really doesn't mean much.

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Specializes in Home Care.

I agree with Fiona.

I went into nursing at 48. If I knew then what I know now I'd have done something else.

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I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with Fionna as well I am only 31 and can already feel the wear of nursing on my body, I can't imagine how painful it would be 20 years older. Also remember that nurses ( especially new nurses) are pretty much guaranteed to be working night shifts and this can be really hard on the body and mind as well. If it were me and I had the option of going back to school I would choose something else. Why not even look at other options within healthcare if that's where your interest is.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

It is different everywhere. I work with several new grads and none of them work nights.

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It is different everywhere. I work with several new grads and none of them work nights.

True, but it's a very real possibility. And nights is just one of the many stressors that nursing can put on the body.

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Don't let your age discourage you for one. I am currently enrolled in nursing school and I have 2 fellow students that are 45 and 46, and another who just turned 50!! And i would recommend waiting until the fall. These medical terms are hard enough to pronounce in English, so I can only imagine them in French!! Good luck!

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