Emptynstr2

I take mine on June 13th at 8:00 a.m. also! Maybe we can send each other good luck vibes as we begin the test.

as a 50-year-old who has survived the prereqs and the first one and 2/3 semesters of nursing school, i can tell you that it is quite a challenge. life experience has helped me in many situations in which my younger cohorts were lacking, but they have me beat when it comes to recall and speed of thinking. the work load is tough, but the emotional beating is rough as well. it is hard to be the only wrinkled one who is literally twice the age of the rest of the class. one of my classmates graduated from high school with my son! the key to surviving all of this is to be gentle with yourself. accept that it might take you a bit longer at the study desk than the younger ones, and make sure you keep up your nutrition and sleep. keep your eye on the prize - a career helping others. it will be so worth it. my sister is 65 years old, with ms, and she started nursing school the same semester i did. she is having a blast and making fabulous grades! if she can do it, any of us can! hang in there, and may the best of luck follow you right into nursing school!

Thank you all for the enlightening responses. One must keep eyes on the goal and remember the reason for doing this out-of-Erickson's-stage move of choice. Go Baby Boomers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember The Tortoise and the Hare.....

i thought i could do this nursing school thing at my age of 50. for the last two years, i have worked so hard to finish prereqs in order to get into nursing school. well, here i am about 3/4 of the way through my first semester with nothing but low b's on my tests. skills checkoffs really give me a hard time due to self confidence issues, and the fact that my brain and hands refuse to work as fast as they did about 25 years ago. each day of skills class and clinical is like a beating. i made an a on the first skills check off, but my second one went over time - a 74! my lack of skills is really showing in clinicals, and i can tell my clinical instructor is not happy with me. i am really afraid of not passing. all the other students are young and perky, and i am the odd one out in the crowd. i feel so old! the closest student to my age is 15 years younger than me! most of them are the same age as my own children. has anyone else out there dealt with this type os situation? short of finding a fountain of youth, does any one have any suggestions as to how to pull out of this slump? i have just got to get my act together before it's too late! thanks for any suggestions you could send my way.

proof of medical insurance is required in order to be able to attend the nursing program at tarrant county college here in little ole' texas. this will prove to be a sizable expense. does anyone out there know if this amount can be counted as a tax deduction?????? thanks for any feedback you can share. may the best of luck travel to all of you heading to school in the days ahead!

thanks to all of you that have shared such helpful information! i really appreciate the fact that you all took the time to send me words of encouragement. the hospital in which i work does have a tuition reimbursement program, and they are a partner hospital with the community college i will attend. as far as working goes, i will try the three nights a week, and if that turns our to be too much, i will cut back to two shifts each week. if i can handle the three shifts though, i would not have to take out any loans.... the student nursing association offers insurance, and i will check that out, and i will meet with my supervisors about the scheduling challenges. maybe i can do this after all. i'll keep you updated on my progress! may the best of luck be with you all!

this idea of a second degree in nursing after 22 years as an elementary school teacher has me terrified. i honestly did not think i had a chance of getting into the program at a local community college, but here i am. to prepare for this challenge, i have spent the last 6 months working 7p-7a at a hospital full time as a secretary. this has taught me so much. i am really glad i did it, but now i am worried about working 3 night shifts while attempting nursing school. can this be done? my school requires proof of medical insurance, and since i am single, i have to have the income to survive it all. if i try to go to part-time, my insurance rates triple, and i won't be able to pay bills. my support system is extremely limited, the night shifts have proven to be a challenge, and the fear combined with stress of this transition have made this summer very lonely and difficult. i am really feeling discouraged at this point, and i am afraid i made a huge mistake leaving teaching when i did. i still had 5 more years until retirement, so i left my retirement money in the teacher retirement system in order to be able to fully retire at age 58. since i am getting no younger, i knew i had to get a move on toward a second career since retirement pension will just not be enough. i do have some savings, but it isn't enough to cover everything this will take. at the time i left my job in order to complete my prereqs a year and a half ago, my finances were in good shape, and then the economy tanked! i hate to back out of this since i have come so far. there has got to be a way to make this all work! is there anyone out there who can tell me if someone who is alone at my age can make it through nursing school while working three 12 hour night shifts a week? if not, any suggestions in the areas of insurance or possible financial resources would be most welcomed. thanks!

Congrats to all those posting here. I made iti nto Tarrant County College nursing program starting in August. Like an earlier post stated - paying for it all is the scary part of this entire adventure!

I love chihuahuas, too! They are the best dogs in the world, imho. As a single nursing student, I share concerns with you on the money issue. When I opened the acceptance letter today for nursing school, the first thought that crossed my mind after the dancing and screaming subsided, was, "How in the world will I pay for this?" Student loans seem to be the best option for me since I have a degree already. Also, I work in a hospital that will work with me on hours during nursing school. Maybe you could find a hospital job to pay the bills and gather helpful experience. Good luck to you!

I made it into nursing school! :anpom:The letter smiled at me from my mailbox this morning, and I was shocked to get the news so soon. Yippee! If there are any Tarrant County College, Fall 2009 nursing students out there, I would really like to see if you have the same questions I do about this adventure in our future. Happy Easter, everyone!

I have heard many times to avoid Dr. Vu at the Southeast campus, but I wouldn't know first hand. I had Therese Scott at the South campus for I & II, and she was wonderful. I do not know if she teaches in the summer, though. Adams at the Southeast campus has a great reputation. You might want to check ratemyprofessor.com or pickaprof.com for some feedback. There is no guarantee on the quality of the info, but it might prove to be interesting. Good luck to you.

I am a career-changer from teaching to nursing. The reality that I would have to work after retirement struck me between the eyes last year when I saw how little my teacher retirement pension will be, so I left teaching after 22 years to pursue the nursing path. Since I hold a degree, I am not eligible for any financial aid at my school. My original plan was to use dividends from investments to finance my way through nursing school, but our great economy has shut the door to that optionright after I finished my last prereq. I went ahead and turned my application in to TCC last week, and if I am accepted, a plan for how to pay for it all would probably be a good idea. I am single, and I presently work full time as a unit secretary at a local hospital. My salary barely pays the basic bills if I work 48 hours a week. I know that this is just part of what I have to endure in order to successfully change careers, but that doesn't make it any easier. TCC requires nursing students to show proof if medical insurance while in their program, and in my case, working full time is the only way to have that coverage. What I need is any advice you guys have on how to work full time, do nursing school, and get some help with tuition, books, and school expenses when you already have a degree.If you can think of any other way to keep medical coverage other than working full time somewhere, that would be appreciated as well. Also, am I nuts for making this change??? I am really questioning my judgment at this moment...

Please do not let your age hold you back! I will turn 50 in May and just applied to nursing school, and my sister, who is tackling A&PI and II, just turned 63. Coming from a 22-year elementary teaching career and switching to nursing, I can tell you that your difficulties in A&P probably stem from the way you are studying. We all learn differently, and there are tests out there to help you determine whether you are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic in your learning. Google learning styles, and you will find lots of info on this area. Once you adjust your studying strategies to match your way of learning new information best, you will see a huge difference in your grades. I am so sorry to hear of your father's illness. That must be throwing your entire family into chaos. May God bless you and your family through this difficult time.

i am in that long waiting period between turning in the nursing school application and the final verdict. to fill the time and gain some kind of experience in a hospital setting, i have taken a job as a unit secretary in the icu. the job is interesting and eye-opening to say the least, but my 48 hours a week composed of shifts from 7 pm to 7 am are really doing a number on my social life and sanity. is there anyone out there who has successfully survived this wacky type of schedule?:zzzzz any suggestions on how to make these long shifts doable and have a normal lifestyle at the same time? since these long hours are a big part of life in the nursing arena, i had better learn how to deal with them. help! by the way, i applied to tarrant county college in fort worth, texas for fall 2009. anyone out there applying along with me? thanks for your time and suggestions.

I took A&PI in Summer Session, 8 weeks, and I can't imagine doing such a course load justice in a shorter time span! If you decide to do the 6 week version, my advice would be to let that be the only thing you do for those weeks. Those two classes are so very important in nursing, and they require undivided attention, imho. Good luck to you!