Older Nursing students

kellyskitties · Jan 21, 2010

The nursing class that graduated before mine had a social security age great grandmother (I'm not sure of her age but they said she was probably the oldest nurse that had graduated ever). She said she did it as a goal. She was a great lady.

Now, I too was a nontraditional nursing student. I thought it was a good thing. I don't think we lost as many older students as younger students. We seemed more serious overall, more there to learn and less there for socializing. I took learning a lot more seriously than I did when I was younger. I enjoyed going to class, and actually learning - not just showing up and memorizing. That was a significant difference for me. I actually enjoyed the process for the first time.

When I was younger I didn't know what I wanted to be. I amassed a lot of college hours and dropped out sans degree. Then I had an AHA moment and went back for nursing - it was one of the best decisions I made.

Advice to an older student: Set aside times just for u to work on homework - and set up those rules with only exceptions allowed if u are bleeding or can't breath. Then set aside times for just your family with only exceptions for u if u are bleeding or can't breath. Then streamline and relax everything else. Eggs for supper - fine. Cake for breakfast for the kids- OK if it's your test day. 4 year olds outfit doesn't match - cute, he picked his own clothes today. Dishes in the sink will be there tomorrow. Paperplates, papertowels, plasticware - the environment will survive if u use them short term. clothing can always be freshened in the dryer. It's ok to eat in the car, study in the car, carpool for study groups, etc.

Now things u shouldn't do. Lose your sense of humor. When u can't do anything else - laugh. Lose your friends - keep in touch when u have a spare minute - use the cell, email or facebook to keep them up on your life. Lose too much sleep - don't study all at once - study some every day at your sacred study time in your sacred study spot. Lose yourself - set up a little me time too.

NancyMama2-4 · Jan 21, 2010

Hello Marie and my other fellow "older" students! I am in my last semester of my BSN program and I turned 40 shortly after I began the nursing program. Like many of you, I took my prerequisites slowly (1 course per semester) because I have 4 young children (my oldest was 7 and youngest was not quite a year old when I started - she is now 4). From taking the prerequisites to now being in the nursing program, the age ranges of my classmates have run the gamut. The program that I am in is a 12 month accelerated BSN program (need to have a Bachelors degree to apply) . There are 39 people in the class with the ages from new grads (22yrs) to a wonderful lady who is 51! I would say that the bulk of the students are about 26 yrs old. In my humble opinion, I think that age is beside the point; hard work, dedication, motivation, perseverance, and a little bit of humility go a long way. One benefit to being an "older" student nurse seems to be in the clinical setting with the patients. In my experience, for what ever reason, patients seem to be more at ease with me than some of my younger colleagues. My fellow "older" students have mentioned the same thing to me. At any rate, at any age - I commend any one who decides to become a nurse (and not just for the money!) because it is quite a commitment. This is the hardest thing I have ever done and has had a huge impact on my family, but I would definitely do it all again -- it is tremendously rewarding. We just started back this week and I can't wait until clinicals start again so I can be with patients; my preceptorship starts this semester (I got OB - first choice :) and I am anxious to start that - it's supposed to be pretty intense. Sorry I got chatty, but I am just so excited about becoming a nurse and I really encourage people not to have age be a deterrent -- Hang in there...it is so worth it!

~ Nancy

thespikyhairedgirl · Jan 21, 2010

I LOVE being an older, non-traditional student. I am about 10 years older than my classmates. I have the working and life experience that if something isn't right, I can nicely ask for change. And I do, instead of just accepting it, like I would've at their age.

Just yesterday, our statistics teacher went on a rant about how we HAD to have his lab for credit in the lecture course--and the catalog says nothing about it being a corequisite.

So I calmly went straight to my nursing advisor and next thing you know, we get this email from the professor saying 'he would ok it this time' (pshaw!). I know a lot of the 'young-uns' took him at his word and dropped the class before that email went out--now they're really up a creek!

Anyway, long story short, age pays wonderful dividends in the advocacy (whatever you need to advocate for) department, a vital skill for our patients.

Best of luck to all of the non-trads!

deleern · Jan 21, 2010

my husband and i are older i was 45 and he was 50 it is really hard to find affordable health insurance. i knew i wanted to go into nursing so i started at local nursing home in may of 2004 as a na-r, i needed health benefits and they had a full time opening on the noc shift with benefits. i do not sleep well at night so i thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. na-r is very hard work. i knew that my body would not tolerate this for long. i enjoyed the residents and liked this kind of work. once i was on the health insurance we cut back to the bare bones and we sold the new car, paid off all the credit cards. my husband took a job at a groc store, and did every spare cash paying job he could.

i started the lpn program in aug of 2004. my hubby was not happy about me wanting to go to college. he thought it was too much for me to handle. i had signed up and promised i wouldn’t go if he said no… i missed the 1st week of school because he couldn’t make up his mind, monday morning i told him that he better tell me if i could go or not and he wouldn’t say anything so i took that as a yes and went to college…. i went to my 1st class and it was nursing 1 the instructor took attendance and afterwards she asked me to pick up my books and step out into the hall she said that i couldn’t start a week late that they have already taken a test and i missed the lecture. so i didn’t say a word and went to the councilors’ office and asked if there any of the programs in this college that the student guide didn’t applied to. he said no, so i turned right around and went back to the class. sat down asked if i could have the power point. and she handed it to me. after the lecture she said i would need to take the test tomorrow. i said fine. i took the 1st test and the second test on the same day… i failed the first test because they take 10% off for taking it late. i got an 80% (a c) on the second one. so i just plugged away… continued on.

at midterm my instructor pulled me aside and told me i was at a high d… i asked her if she was kicking me out. she said no because i had perfect attendance. i told her that it’s not over until the fat lady sings and this fat lady hasn’t sung yet!!! i paid for this and i was going to go to the end even if i failed it… i would just take it over if i had to.

working night was tough !! because it was so easy to fall asleep in class. the students around me if i dosed off they would fill in my notes… they thought i was crazy but they respected me. (some of the students worked part time in the same nursing home that i did) at the end of the semester i had a b in that class. i studied my butt off. i got a 98% on the final.

the second semester i took 3 classes online a&p ii, psycho social, & med terminology that helped with the sleep issue. i could do them on my own time.

our school has open enrollment and i took 18- 21 credits a semester i graduated with a 3.5 gpa in three semesters partly because when i was a student there 28 years ago i was a straight a’s at that time. i believe during the lpn i had a 3.0

i continued taking my co required pre- req. classed so that my work load would be lighter later in the rn program. i worked 5 nights a week as the charge nurse on the night shift. and 3 day shifts. i was accepted into the part time program. so my rn program was 3 semesters long. i only had the core classes left…. thank god. those classes were the hardest classes i have ever had.

organization was one of the keys to my success i bought a large day planner. everything about school and personal life was in it. i knew when my tests were and when projects were due. if future papers were on the agenda i kept a list of ideas or things i would like to research. i always kept in mind what my future practice would entail. (geriatrics) it was the hardest thing i have ever done. i had many struggles though it

i worked for local nursing home full time. i work 10 shifts per 2 week period. and usually work 1 to 2 - 12 hour shifts if someone called in. i graduated with a 3.12 i didn’t get any time off. with school and work it was 12 days straight until my weekend off. i told the “kids” the other students that this is just a short blip in my life and i will get through it. i graduated in may of 2007. took the nclex the same day my 1st granddaughter was born…(i knew she was in labor but she and my husband did not want me to postpone it) well i took the test and made it back to my daughters side to have my hand in on the delivery. (another story some day.) i found i had passed the nclex the next day.

that’s my story.... yes keep going don't stop... it is so easy to let life get in the way. and you know what… what other people think is unimportant. the rewards are great. i finally have job satisfaction!!

studentinnursing · Jan 21, 2010

Hi all older women! I'm 47 with two children, ages 4 & 6. Just finished Anatomy II. Thank god I have an Associates Degree, so I have all the prereq's out of the way. I want to apply to a nursing program, but I am worried about getting through it all. It was hard enough studying for anatomy with the 2 kids, never mind actual nursing school!
AND with all the studying I did for anatomy, I ended up with a B, not even an A. Very frustrating! Anybody else feel this way?

Yep. I am 37, two boys ages 2 and 9, and going through a divorce (not a bad one thank God) and it was hard; I'm doing Microbiology right now and the rest of the gen ed for my AA while I'm waiting for acceptance this fall. I know how hard it can be; I took 13 credits last semester, had no childcare for the 2-year-old while working at home and going to school (my mom watched him only when I was at school--he was with me the rest of the time); It blows my mind what we are capable of doing when we want something bad enough. I just started him in daycare and only taking 10 credits this semester since it's all I needed and I feel like I'm on vacation!! LOL Anyway, our ADN starts with a 9-credit first semester, but they say it feels like more, but after doing 13 with a 2-year-old, they can't scare me! You can do whatever you set your mind to, and yes we'll be worried or scared at first, but we will and can do it!! Good luck to you; you will do just fine!

Congrats on all your prereq's done! It will have taken me two years to complete mine after this semester, but I get my AA and AS when I'm done, so who cares LOL! See what we can do and we didn't even know it. :eek:

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 21, 2010

I am 65 - once I enter the program I should have my RN in a year and a half if all goes well

You win. I had a classmate in my ADN class who was in her late 50s, possibly 60. I never dared ask her exact age Good for you for doing this and good luck with everything!

The first time in nursing school, we had some young ones, we had some old ones, but most seemed to be in the late 20s-early 30s. I was slightly older than average (34 at the start).

Now taking the pre-reqs for the BSN program (and at age 37), I seem to be surrounded by those in their 20s--I've only met a couple of students that were my age or older. But I expect that I'll met more once the pre-reqs are over and I get to meet the other RN-BSN students.

debragan · Jan 21, 2010

Not sure how old your are but I was 50 years old when I started nursing school. I just had my knee replaced! Fun days. And I was not the oldest in my class there was another student who was 51 and one was 52 when we all graduated they even took our pictures and wrote an article about us for the newspaper! I was an x-ray tech for 20 years but always knew I wanted to be a nurse. Love it

Deb :nurse:

studentinnursing · Jan 21, 2010

Oh, and once you've been through this . . . Speech I was scared to death of, right, but I had plenty of friends from A&P who all had to take the same class and a lot were late 20s or my age; none of them were in my Speech class and almost everyone was dual-enrollment, we're talkin' high school kids. I was a mess for my speeches every time; it was the ONLY class where I didn't know anybody and they were all talkin' about their 17th and 18th birthdays!!! So, sometimes it isn't always easy, but I trudged through every speech, literally hands shaking, but ended up with an A in the class. But it was the scariest so far! That's my only horror story being a nontraditional student for 2 years.

askn4trbl · Jan 21, 2010

you are never too old to go to school, every time i get discouraged, or think that maybe i cannot do this, i think of the 95 yr old woman who graduated from college... she is my drive!

http://abcnews.go.com/gma/lifestages/story?id=3167970

WDW4ever · Jan 21, 2010

I am 39, and am starting an ADN / RN nursing program today! I am taking the first nursing course in the program, which is a theory course, along with Chemistry for Health Sciences and A & P1. I also have 3 kids, one of whom is a toddler, but I also have a very supportive husband. It will be rough, but I have always wanted to be a nurse. This is a career change for me - I am a lawyer, and have been miserable practicing law for 14 years!!

Life is too short to not pursue your dreams, at any age!! :)

Good luck to everyone - we should keep each other posted as we continue on this journey. . .

Punch · Jan 21, 2010

Ahem! I am 57 years old (soon to be 58) and I am getting ready to graduate in May as an RN. From time to time I feel a bit "out of place" with the younger students, but overall I believe I have been accepted into the fold. This is something I have always wanted to do, and am thrilled that I have made it through with an honor roll GPA. If you have the motivation and desire, it doesn't matter how "old" you are! What matters is, do you have the desire to excel and become a nurse? Kudos to all of you "older" nursing students. Hang in there! :yeah:

buzkil · Jan 21, 2010

In my last post I didn't mention I was also an older student. I'm 41 and have been an LPN for almost 20 years and I graduate RN program in May.

I still feel that maybe someone in their late 60's or early 70's might be a little "off" for wanting to be a new nurse. Education for the sake of education is great but nursing school leads to a career. Why invest all of that money if you are not going to have a career? I'm asking because it just doesn't make sense to me. I'm really not trying to be insulting but if my mother who is 66 told me she was taking pre-reqs for a nursing program I would get a psych eval. for her. And yes, she is in excellent physical and mental health..exercises, eats right, non-smoker at a healthy weight.