Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and settle in front of the roaring fire...er computer screen. Share your stories, concerns and triumphs over starting nursing program, dealing with homework, balancing study +children + spouse, stingle parenthood + work + school, carying for parents + school, math anxiety,.....study tips and tricks, squeezing in ME time....
We learn more from OOOOOOOOOOOOPS moments than sucess somtimes.
i am 40 and due to graduate from adn program in a matter of weeks (can i get a :thankya::bowingpur praise the lord???). i am married with 4 children (16, 15, 5, and 2, the youngest born during nursing school) and also work 28 hours on the weekend on a baylor program as an lna (cna). like several others, i worked for almost 2 decades in corporate america and when i told that my management position was going away and i had 30 days to find another position in the company, my husband and i decided to take this as the "kick in the butt" that i needed to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. how i look forward to feeling like i've done something worthwhile at the end of a work day! and yes, not having the "other shoe" hanging over my head will also be a perk!
so now here i am. i am not the oldest in my class, although i'm sure i'm top 10! i am very fortunate that my husband has assumed a "mr mom" role with only a "little" prodding. he is my biggest fan! i have had many, many moments of guilt for the time spent away from my kids (between school and work, i am home only sunday evenings) but i keep reminding myself that i am doing this for their sake and their futures. not to mention that i am being a great role model for them, both in terms of being dedicated to your education, but more importantly, the importance pursuing your dreams.
i feel like being in school is a priviledge ... and that being a nurse will be, too. i guess that comes from having waited so long to get here. so yes, there has been a lot of stress, late nights, many more grays than i started with... but how lucky am i?
and how cool is it that i will work 3 12s (already have a job for after graduation!), and my husband works 4 10s - both full time, and no childcare needs. don't you love the flexibility of healthcare?
babies, babies, babies. If this is about bragging rights, I am fifty-two and will be graduating this spring. I'll be fifty-three this summer. I've been surrounded by 20 year olds these past two years. the one person closest to my age is 40. So, the moral to this story is that if you want to meet a challenge, you can, age doesn't matter.
Specializes in Critical Care: Cardiac, VAD, Transplant.
I am going to be 37 in a few weeks and will (hopefully) only be 38 years young when I graduate. I have 5 kids (15 g, 15 g, 13 b, 8 g, 7 b). The twins both just got their drivers permits, the 13 y.o. is struggling with type I diabetes and puberty (bad combination, btw!), the youngest two are adopted which comes with its own set of 'rules', one with attachment disorder, PTSD, and the youngest with sickle cell disease. Our house is NEVER boring, NEVER quiet, and NEVER empty! My husband has a demanding job, but overall, everyone has pulled together and we have made this going to college thing a family event. I have learned that coffee is my friend. I have learned that doing homework overnight is the only way! I have learned that powernaps are useful, but cannot completely replace uninterrupted sleep! Most of all, I learned that I wouldn't change a thing right now:redbeathe. (well, maybe I'd go for a little more sleep and a few less hospital visits)
and thank your husband we too are proud of all our military. I got pinned May 8th and graduated will my Associates Degree today. One long journey is finally over and the NCLEX journey begins.
Wow, It's so nice to see that I'm not the only one in this situation. I am 37 and will be almost 40 when I graduate with my BScN. I have just finished my 2nd of 4 years and it sure has been tough. Suprisingly it is not the academics that are difficult; rather it is being the oldest in my class by about 9 years. I have 2 young children and a husband in the military (who is currently on tour) and I feel so alone and misunderstood at times during school. This past semester being the most challenging by far. I can't wait to graduate so I can blend in with people that are closer to my own age. I really try to approach the situation with a positive attitude but sometimes I really feel like an outsider.......well nobody said this was going to be easy but when I make a client feel better during clinicals it's all worth it.
Thanks for listening everybody (and I sure would love a dedicated thread for us over 35's)
i know exactly how you feel. but just keep your posture and don't let all those petty things get in the way of your goal. as a fifty-two year old, i was going to class with people less than half my age. it was a sad and bad experience for me altogether, including the instructor who always seemed to have something negative to say about me. i felt discriminated upon from all angles but, i kept my focus and that's what tells the salt you are made of. good luck
Hi everyone, Ive just joined allnurses.com and luckily found you all! :)
I'm 35, doing my Bsc Nursing and I have 2 kids aged 7 & 8. In 3 weeks or so I will have finished my 2nd year! :nurse:This degree is 3.5 years, so only 3 semesters to go.
It hasnt been easy, as you all know, we all have pressures and it is hard when others don't understand. One girl really annoyed me by saying "It's easier for you to study full-time coz you don't work, you just have kids". I'm over it now though! lol!
I have had some meltdowns but I'm not giving up :)
New to this board but excited to see so many of us 35+ making career changes.
At my school there are a lot of non-traditional (older students) going back for their RN. This will be a second degree as the first was a BA back in 1990. Luckily for me all my general eds transferred over, so the program should take me just two years instead of 3.5 years. Which is good cause I am going to be 40 in November.
I swear 1990 seems like yesterday but really it was almost 20 years ago....good grief.
I work full time and have two children ages 12 and 10. Thankfully I have one truly amazing husband that is completely supportive. It's also nice to have this board.
Hi all! Just wanted to chime into the age thing. I am 38, will be 39 in December. Got my LPN in May 2006, have been working FT since then. Am returning this August to a bridge program, and will graduate in May 2009 with my RN. I also have 3 girls, ages 13, 10 and 7. Good luck to everyone!
1MOM2RN
49 Posts
i am 40 and due to graduate from adn program in a matter of weeks (can i get a :thankya::bowingpur praise the lord???). i am married with 4 children (16, 15, 5, and 2, the youngest born during nursing school) and also work 28 hours on the weekend on a baylor program as an lna (cna). like several others, i worked for almost 2 decades in corporate america and when i told that my management position was going away and i had 30 days to find another position in the company, my husband and i decided to take this as the "kick in the butt" that i needed to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. how i look forward to feeling like i've done something worthwhile at the end of a work day! and yes, not having the "other shoe" hanging over my head will also be a perk!
so now here i am. i am not the oldest in my class, although i'm sure i'm top 10!
i am very fortunate that my husband has assumed a "mr mom" role with only a "little" prodding. he is my biggest fan! i have had many, many moments of guilt for the time spent away from my kids (between school and work, i am home only sunday evenings) but i keep reminding myself that i am doing this for their sake and their futures. not to mention that i am being a great role model for them, both in terms of being dedicated to your education, but more importantly, the importance pursuing your dreams.
i feel like being in school is a priviledge ... and that being a nurse will be, too. i guess that comes from having waited so long to get here. so yes, there has been a lot of stress, late nights, many more grays than i started with... but how lucky am i?
and how cool is it that i will work 3 12s (already have a job for after graduation!), and my husband works 4 10s - both full time, and no childcare needs. don't you love the flexibility of healthcare?
glad to meet you all!