ERICA57

I think it depends, at least in part, on your location. I did this in Boston between 58 and 61 and encountered overt, frequent ageism in hospitals and on the part of preceptors here. Some people were absolutely brutal to me,making it virtually impossible to learn what I need to and setting up a destructive cycle. Anyone who has the good fortune to transition from nursing school to a clinical job in their 60's is the exception, not the rule...no matter what they say. If you have money to risk on this experiment, go for it..but you may very well not end up working as a nurse.

Myra, you can email me directly at [email protected],. I'm happy to share my experience such as it is!

With all due respect, prettymica, the fact that you have LPN classmates in their 60's only proves that some individuals are willing to take the risk of paying for retraining in late in life. It says nothing about how these classmates will fare after they graduate. It is entirely possible that they'll be closed out of the job market (or have an extraordinarily difficult time) because of the combination of their age and the weak economy. And if they went into (significant) debt to retrain, so much the worse.

Also, I would take the fact that health care programs admit older students with a grain of salt. That reality does not, in my experience, reflect the perspective of the working nurses who will supervise your clinical placements, and hire you (or not).

I just graduated with a BSN in December, and passed the NCLEX last week. I'm 61, and I have a vastly different take on this topic. The optimism and encouragement that virtually every poster expressed is well-meaning, but ill-founded. It's simply not true that "age really isn't an issue anymore". Age is most definitely an issue in who gets hired in the job market, most especially in a weak economy and in a job with the physical demands of nursing. The employment situation is further compounded by the reality that many younger nurses are uncomfortable in a supervisory/teaching relationship with an older student/new grad. I have found that simply by being an older student I evoke discomfort and suspicion. People are subconsciously wired to (generally) expect "newbies" and learners to be young/younger; In a way, this perspective makes sense: there are *limited* resources to teach new nurses, and if one has to choose, it makes long term sense to invest in a student who will be a nurse for 35 years, not 10. The admonition to "follow your dreams" is both a strength and a trap that is inherent in American culture. You may have a wonderful dream, but pursuing it at the wrong time may do more harm than good. Middle age is a time for serious and sober financial planning, which usually does include the extensive investment in education that ramping up for a new career requires, unless of course, one is independently wealthy. I would warn the OP against getting "swept away" by the wave of optimism and good feeling this thread reflects. I certainly wish I had seen through the fog of encouragement that was directed at me when I was embarking on this path.

Most schools in Boston have clinical associations with the major hospitals, this is true of both ADN and BSN programs. I dont think an Accelerated Bachelors gives you any advantage over a traditional BSN program, at this point, its a challenge to get your first job in healthcare in Boston whatever your degree.

Ginger's Mom, I agree with you. The situation is just *unbelievably tough* for legal residents here in Boston, and adding anyone else to the mix is just unthinkable. Further, I do not see how anyone can expect to receive even one paycheck without a social security number... it's simply not gonna happen.

I think getting a Patient Care Assistant job in a Boston hospital is a combination of timing, (if you happen to apply when there are openings) luck and connections. A couple of friends in my nursing program sent in resumes to major hospitals, got interviews, and had jobs w/in a month. Others didn't. In my experience it is much easier to get an assistant type of job at a home health care agency, although the hourly rate is somewhat lower.

I'm at UMass Boston too! You DONT have to be certified to work as a nursing assistant. After one semester of clinical, UMass will write a letter documenting the fact that you're a nursing student. But most hospitals take your word without the letter! You do need the clinical experience, or you can take the Red Cross CN course (don'r recommend).

So you're saying if the cuff insn't wrapped snugly enough, this dissipates the pressure within the cuff, rather than causing the gauge to rise. I think this may be my problem, since b/c of their illness, the arms of many of the pts I'm working with are very very thin. What did you mean righty tighty, lefty loosey?? Thank you very much!

It was one of those portable measurement systems on wheels. Sounds like what you are saying is air was escaping from somewhere, yes? I just want to be able to diagnose the issue, so I can correct my mistake, not keep repeating it!! I did not check the connection between one guage and hose, that's a good suggestion. But one of my classmates had used the device w' no problems just before. I'm thinking even though I *thought* the value to the bulb was closed, perhaps it wasn't ... Thanks for replying. :)

Could not figure out what was going on!! Today at clinical (and this has happened before too) , when I tried to inflate the cuff, the gauge did not move. Rather, the air I pumped in seemed to dissipate within the cuff, and it inflated kind of like a balloon..rather than forcing the pressure gauge to rise. I checked carefully and I'm almost positive that the value on the bulb was closed, i.e. air wasn't leaking. HELP!!

I agree with you..ultimately it all comes down to the teacher! :)

Yes, it's true that you can't determine whether a professor is effective or poor simply by their academic affiliation. However, it's also true that administration (hiring practices, faculty supervision) of the community colleges varies widely, and this is absolutely evident in the quality of science courses. For example, the Microbiology lab at Bunker Hill was wonderfully organized, well stocked and challenging. This was not the case in the A & P lab at Mass Bay..the supplies were so lacking that my A & P l professor told us we could "skip" lab altogether. And, when we asked our A & P ll teacher for help with dissection after trying to make sense of the lab manual, she told us to "figure it out for ourselves". My own personal experience at Mass Bay (which is what I based my counsel on) was that I encountered a number of very poor teachers. There are some good ones there to be sure. On the whole, however, my experience is that the science program at Bunker Hill is much better run. A comparative review of evaluations of Microbiology and A & P courses at each school on Rate My Professor supports this assertion: it will show many more satisfied students in these courses at BHCC!

I DO NOT recommend Mass Bay (for anything). I took many of my nursing prerqs there and the poor teachers vastly outnumber the good. Better to take Micro at Bunker Hill (if you can still register for it).