Older Nursing Students

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I am 50 years old and I am doing my prerequisites. I will be 51 if I get into the nursing program and 52 when I become a LPN. I took care of my mother for 10 years until she passed away in August of 2010 and I decided to go for my LPN. Am I Crazy or should I go for it.

Anyone else did this and was successful?

Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I will be 45 when I graduate from my RN program and 46 when I finish my BSN. Yes, I do worry about age discrimination when looking for a job. However, I'm not going to turn up my nose at jobs such as in retirement centers or mental health, etc., that I see a lot of new grads do. Experience is crucial. If I can get some experience under my belt, I have a better chance of getting hired on at a hospital later. Luckily, I can still pass for my 30s (we'll see after nursing school is over :eek:) Hopefully, that will help on interviews :)

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Bendy, this is something I worry about; I'm 45 and taking my prerequisites. I wonder if anyone will want to hire a 48-year-old newbie nurse when there are so many 25-year-old ones with just as much education and training as I have. Add that to the fact that I've just learned (thanks to this site!) that there really is no nursing shortage, and I'm wondering if I made the right decision after all. :unsure:
There is huge variance in the experiences of individual nurses.

I had a hard time getting started and had to take a job at someplace that was desperate for nurses and that had a very hard time attracting and retaining good nurses. I was horridly underpaid and the experience left many holes in my skill set but three years later I was able to transfer to the big time (at age 48).

You won't know if you've made the right decision for a while but do prepare yourself for a grueling process. Newbie nurses are everywhere and there are far too many of them compared to the number of job openings.

Best of luck to you.

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go for it!! I am 39 and will start nursing school in the fall. This is a career change for me. I thought I would be out of place in the sea of younger more energetic students, but I am in an evening weekend prgram and half the class is my age. I love it!!!

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Specializes in LTC.

I am a 52 y.o. who returned to nursing school last year. I did begin my pre-requisites in 2010 and I had previously attended school in the mid 90"s for another degree.

I have a strong belief that if you really want something, you will find a way. I complete my program in August and have not found it too terribly difficult. But it is not easy, so I don't want to give you any false hopes.

I don't know your situation, so it is not really fair to tell you what to do. Given the fact that hospitals are now looking for BSNs, I would suggest that you pursue the highest degree of nursing that you can. I am getting a RN that took me 16 months. Sometimes I wish I would have pursued a BSN, but I am in somewhat of a different position as I have tons of health care experience and other educational degrees that are very complimentary to the profession.

So I would suggest looking into a RN if there is anyway possible. Regardless if you have the drive and passion, I believe you will still be successful.

Best of luck in your endeavors.

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I just graduated at the age of 51 and will be taking the NCLEX on July 19th. Within my cohort (23 peeps), three of us were over 50, four of us were over 40, and about eight were over 30. Of the three over 50, two were women (me), and one guy. He got offered a job where he preceptored. I preceptored at a place that was on furlough and unable to hire anyone, so I'll be scrambling for the few coveted RN residency positions out there... One gal who is 44 got hired directly out of her preceptorship into an ER. However, my sister lost her job at the age of 51 and had a terrible time finding more work, but she's not a nurse. I believe part of her trouble stemmed from A) being older, and B) being unhealthy looking and out of shape. Employers understand the health risks of obesity and don't want the liability of someone they hire to end up on sick leave or L&I. I know some people will probably want to spit in my eye for saying this stuff, but it's true. My sister got it together and started exercising and lost weight. I believe that is why she started getting job offers. The reason getting into nursing right now is so difficult is because of the economy. Hospitals are watching every penny. But as far as I'm concerned, for me, 50 is the new 25. I feel great. My mind is sharp. I have a ton of energy and a lot to give. I've also heard that some employers prefer older people because it's an aging patient population, and older nurses relate better to these patients. I know of a woman in a cohort prior to mine who graduated at the age of 63 and was hired straight away, her ability to relate better to patients noted as the reason they hired her (along with her other many great qualities).

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I am currently taking 2 prerequisite courses for the After Degree RN program thru the U of A and I will turn 41 the month after I start this fall! I'm very excited and don't think age is going to be much of a factor. I may have to study harder, but I'm also not going to be learning how to focus/study, partying, trying to find a husband, getting pregnant, etc like my classmates!

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We might not like what you have to say Isthisforreal? , but I think its true.

My husband was told by someone that they like to hire older women because we won't be going on mat leave and needing to be replaced!

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I'm 53 and will be starting an ADN program this fall. My five-year plan includes finishing the ADN, then an RN-to-BSN, and then if I'm not totally sick and tired of school, I want to complete an MPH. Or maybe an ARNP. I figure by the time I finish the ADN I will know where my true passion lies. So I'll be 58 when I finish my terminal degree (if I'm lucky and don't take time off). Is that crazy? Eh. All I know is that I want to do meaningful work, and if I get 10 years of work-life out of this program then it'll be worth it to me.

Thank you all for sharing your comments and experiences! It's very encouraging and informative to read. :-)

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Go for it. I'm 41 and almost done with my prereqs for RN then will apply for the program. There are many students younger and older than me in my classes, all aiming to get our degrees or start a new career. My one tip though is that I enjoy my night classes better, because the students in general tend to be older so I'm more comfortable and relate better. Also, I just moved in with my parents last year, relocating from a diff state to take care of them. Tough, as you know... Good Luck!

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You're never too old! I will be 51 when I apply for vocational nursing school and will be 52 when I become an LVN. Just keep at it and you'll make a great nurse!

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And probably retirement age will go up, or retirement will become unaffordable ;)

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Specializes in OB.

Do it!

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