how old were you when you decided to become a nurse?

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(sorry if this thread has been discussed ad neausem, but I couldn't find any others that were specific to this question)... how old were you when you decided to become a nurse? And at what age did you start studying to be one? I'll be 29 next week (ack! almost at the big 30! :mad:), and I know I'm not too old to become one, I'm just curious at what ages people started. Thanks :)

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Specializes in LTC.

I realized I wanted to be a nurse at 17.

I went to nursing school at 19.

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29, I had a few college level general education classes I could use for credit when I applied so I didn't have to start from scratch. Most of my fellow students were my age.

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I started my pre-reqs when i was 24 and started nursing school when i was 25.

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29, I had a few college level general education classes I could use for credit when I applied so I didn't have to start from scratch. Most of my fellow students were my age.

What classes were you able to use? I have quite a bit of gen ed classes from my original degree, so if I could apply them, that would be great!

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Wanted to be a nurse as a kid - talked out of it by older nurses. Went to college - didn't get good enough grades for medical school. Went to business school, got an MBA. Managed an architecture firm for 20 years and hated it. While working full time became and EMT-B then paramedic and loved volunteering. Started nursing school at 45, graduated at 47 and have been in the ED for almost 3 years and love it. It's never too late!:nurse:

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Was 16 when I decided but put it off for various reasons. I am 29 now (yes EEEK to the big 3-0) and have just been accepted to start the program in August. PS, nursing requires most of the same gen ed classes that other degrees do, exactly how many of those classes would be needed to obtain your nursing degree will vary by which nursing degree you're seeking (adn v bsn). Of course, there are more science courses required for nursing than for other degrees. Good luck!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

38.:)

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31 (this year)

I'm taking my first pre-req as we speak!

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Specializes in NICU.

figured it out when i was 26, got my license when i was 27 :)

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Specializes in med/surg, hospice.

Nursing is a 2nd career for me, I started my prereqs at a community college when I was 37. I had taken a couple writing classes when I was in high school (20 years before) which I received college credit for, they still had it on file so I didn't have to retake those classes!:)

Of course community college was a wide variety of ages, on the first day of each class I would search out the oldest looking student and sit by them...made me feel more comfortable. :bugeyes: Nursing school also had a variety of ages, but the atmosphere was different because everyone was serious about what they were trying to achieve. All in all I loved going back to school and I loved being able to sit down at the kitchen table with my kids where we would all do homework together! :w00t:

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I was 20. And for purely pragmatic reasons. I was pregnant with a loser, and my crystal ball told me I wasn't going to get any help from him. So I picked at job with guarenteed employment and flexible hours (I had the optomistic thought I'd get married and I wanted a job that could work around my husband's hours.) Oh how things have changed. No more flexible hours (mostly 12 hour shifts now) and I'd hate to be a GN in this environment. Pay has gotten better, though.

I've heard I didn't pick nursing for the "right" reasons. Well, I managed to graduate (half the class didn't), pass boards on the first try (ten pecent didn't) and I'm still working in the hospital (most aren't, and at least one lost her license.) I'm still pluggin' along.

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