Older Nursing students

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I am finishing up pre-reqs and applying to an RN program for the fall - I wonder how many of you are out there that are non traditional nursing students - I have a feeling I may be the oldest nursing student on this site.:)

Right on Aloevera!

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I started my associates degree in fall 2008 at age 52 and I expect to graduate this May with God's help. In clinicals I find myself learning from other students the skillls at which they are proficient, while at the same time I am able to give others a hand in the areas where I am strong. Don't pay attention to others who are negative and try to discourage you. If you are willing to work hard and keep your goal in front of you then surround yourself with positive people and do not give up. Go for it!

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I graduated last May and passed the exam in June 09. I am 55 and still looking. Age discrimination is an expected obstical and yes harder to prove. I am confident that we will all be employed by2012-13 when the economy is better and this excess in new nurses flips around.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I hear there are more than a million unemployed new nurses. The schools are cranking them out and the hospitals new nurse orientation programs are the chocking point to employment. Sure there is a shortage for experienced skilled nurses but not new ones.

There are 10 to 20 times the applicants than there are openings in San Diego area. Once these nurses (boomers) see retirement as feasible there is going are rapid swing but when that happens depends on some fella named Berneke. 2 to 3 years maybe five. Keep your CEU's up in the mean time.

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Specializes in SICU, NICU, Telephone Triage, Management.

WOW! Congrats.

Age is relative. I thought I was old when I graduated at 27. Took time out to have a baby and spend the first 2 years at home with him. And that was 30 years ago. How time flies. And now I feel just as young!

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Specializes in long term care, psychiatric setting.

i graduated from an LPN program in 08 at the age of 47. I will be 49 this year and am enrolled in a BSN program. yes. i felt old in the beginning, but now i just feel good about myself for taking the initiative and pursuing my dreams. good luck to all of you. dont let your age stop you:yeah:

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Specializes in I have done in home care once before.

I am 42 and I am just finishing my prereqs. I will probably be about 45 when I graduate from nursing school and get my BSN. Age is just a number, I always say. Sure a lot of 20 year olds get into the program, but I also see a lot of people who are older than myself sign up.

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GO for it:) You are never to old. I realized I wanted to be a nurse a few months after I graduated with a BS in Business Administration...so I worked as an accountant. Lost my job 20 some years later, and I went back to school at 46 to become a nurse...NO regrets...I love it...we had students in age ranges from 21 through 62...you are never to old...Good luck:):)

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I started my prereq's at 42 and graduated with a BSN with honors in May 2009. I was 47 when I graduated. Another student and I tied for the oldest students in the program. :nurse:

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Great advice! And, all so true. I had known a few women that divorced, separated, and/or on anti-anxiety meds while in nursing school. It's sad, but the demands of school puts a lot of stress on your personal life. Your co-mates will be the only ones that you can relate to while you're in school.

I had two break-ups, gained 10 lbs. and lost my beach tan since nursing school... but, it was all worth it. For the last two years, I met a wonderful man who was supportive throughout.

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Specializes in student; help!.

Why does getting a degree mean one wants to work in a field? I have an English degree and I stay home with my kids. Don't you think there are people who just want to go through an experience for the sake of the experience? Isn't that why people bungee jump? Maybe someone, somewhere, decided that s/he wanted his/her obituary to read, RN. Simple as that. Or maybe a parent or spouse called that student an idiot and this was a way to prove them wrong. At the end of the day, though, why do you care?

I think it is very foolish to think you can BEGIN a career in healthcare at the age of 70. Perhaps if someone was already a lpn, cna, medical assistant, etc.. this would be a doable thing. I don't think it is a lack of understanding. I think some folks in this forum are being unrealistic and encouraging the OP to do something that will, in the end, be a waste of her time. Most of the jobs for new grads with no prior healthcare experience are going to be physically demanding. Those of us with experience in healthcare know that. 58 years old, even sixty with healthcare experience is a lot different that 70 with none.
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Specializes in student; help!.

I'm 41, with three small kids (5, 3, 1), and I'll start classes this fall. So I guess that means I'll be 43 when I graduate. I figure all the first-aid training I got at home will serve me well. ;)

I don't think you're ever too old to learn. If you want to go to NS, then you should do the work that gets you in. Even if you'll be 70 when you graduate, there's no reason you couldn't work in a doc's office and weigh babies. Nursing does not automatically equal back-breaking lifting.

At the end of the day, though, what matters is that you're still willing to learn. Once you give up on that, that's all she wrote.

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Why does getting a degree mean one wants to work in a field? I have an English degree and I stay home with my kids. Don't you think there are people who just want to go through an experience for the sake of the experience? Isn't that why people bungee jump? Maybe someone, somewhere, decided that s/he wanted his/her obituary to read, RN. Simple as that. Or maybe a parent or spouse called that student an idiot and this was a way to prove them wrong. At the end of the day, though, why do you care?

Ok, I'm not here to bash dreams. I only responded with an honest opinion. Why do I care? I guess because I'm human.

As I said in a previous post, I think education for the sake of education is great at any age. The OP desires to work as a nurse upon graduating. Nursing school is a career driven course of study that prepares one to work as a nurse, an English degree can fulfil a variety of needs. I was responding to an individual who expresses interest in working as a nurse, not having RN on her obituary. In my experience, nursing is very difficult for the first few years. I based my comments on that.

It seems like many in this forum are responding with unconditional support, that's all well and good but some people actually come on this site to get honest ideas and opinions about what nursing is like. Some of them, like the OP, have no experience in nursing or healthcare and really don't know what it's about. My responses are based on that. I would still NOT recommend to any person in their late 60's or 70's that they go into nursing with no prior healthcare experience. If you think that makes me cold hearted and cruel then so be it.

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