3 questions from a potential student

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Hi there from Canada (close to the US border):

Good morning, and I just found these forums. I have a few questions and I'm going to hope there are some experienced people out there who can answer them.

First, as background: I'm in my early forties, kids grown, and I'm considering leaving a boring but well-paid career to go back to school for a nursing degree and career. I am a US and a Canadian citizen, and I can afford to pay for school and live off of savings while in school.

question #1: since I would be in my forties when graduating, would I experience serious age discrimination in finding jobs? Is the demand high enough that I will certainly find a job *somewhere*? We all know this is illegal, but happens anyway. Assume I'm not a hag, and have good interpersonal skills, job interview skills etc.

question #2: should I pursue a 2 year degree (in the states) and then take my time getting a BN while working or go ahead and get the BN? I already have a BA, so I'll surely get at least a few credits.

question #3: I'm not sure if I want to live/work in Canada or the US, and would like to be certified in both. So should I go to school in Canada and then take the US exams or go to school in the US and then take the Canadian exams. I live close to the border and could do either.

Thanks for any and all replies,

quietreef

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Hi there for you first question as they say age is nothung but a number.As long as you are qualified i don't think you should have a problem getting hired as nurses are in great demand.As for your other two questions i can't help you there as i live outside the us so i am not familiar with their policy.Hope someone else can help you in that area.Well best of luck to you in your future endevours and hope you get the asnwers you are looking for.

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Hi there from Canada (close to the US border):

Good morning, and I just found these forums. I have a few questions and I'm going to hope there are some experienced people out there who can answer them.

First, as background: I'm in my early forties, kids grown, and I'm considering leaving a boring but well-paid career to go back to school for a nursing degree and career. I am a US and a Canadian citizen, and I can afford to pay for school and live off of savings while in school.

question #1: since I would be in my forties when graduating, would I experience serious age discrimination in finding jobs? Is the demand high enough that I will certainly find a job *somewhere*? We all know this is illegal, but happens anyway. Assume I'm not a hag, and have good interpersonal skills, job interview skills etc.

question #2: should I pursue a 2 year degree (in the states) and then take my time getting a BN while working or go ahead and get the BN? I already have a BA, so I'll surely get at least a few credits.

question #3: I'm not sure if I want to live/work in Canada or the US, and would like to be certified in both. So should I go to school in Canada and then take the US exams or go to school in the US and then take the Canadian exams. I live close to the border and could do either.

Thanks for any and all replies,

quietreef

Hi,

I agree with the last post, your age shouldn't be an issue. The second question, I would look into applying to accelerated BSN programs that take 12-18 months to complete since you already have a BA

Last question, I think you should apply to both to increase your chances into getting into a school. Although, I'm not completely positive about the regulations in the US or Canada, but I believe that a BSN in the US might be more flexible if you want to travel.

Good Luck,

LC

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40 is the new 21. Good luck to you

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Hi, quietreef!

question #1: since I would be in my forties when graduating, would I experience serious age discrimination in finding jobs?
Absolutely not. The 40's is currently the largest group of nursing students AND actively working nurses per the latest statistics.

question #2: should I pursue a 2 year degree (in the states) and then take my time getting a BN while working or go ahead and get the BN? I already have a BA
If I were you, since you don't have to work and could live off savings I wouldn't fiddle around with getting an ADN. You've already got a sizeable number of credits you will be able to apply toward a BSN. The difference between the nursing classes in ADN and BSN courses of study aren't all that terribly different with a couple of exceptions. It took me 11 years to go from ADN to BSN and that was with my last 3 years as a full time student in the BSN program at a university.

question #3: I'm not sure if I want to live/work in Canada or the US, and would like to be certified in both. So should I go to school in Canada and then take the US exams or go to school in the US and then take the Canadian exams. I live close to the border and could do either.
I would get and maintain a nursing license in both countries since you have dual citizenship. I don't know what the working situation in Canada is, but I worked at one U.S. hospital that contracted with individual Canadian nurses instead of traveling nurse registries to help solve it's staffing shortage. At that time those Canadian nurses were telling us that nursing wages were much lower in Canada and they had very limited choices of places to work. That is not so in the U.S. There are jobs aplenty here if you are willing to move to larger populated areas and your choices of areas of places to work are unlimited. Most nurses aren't required to belong to any kind of union as part of their employment in the U.S. either. However, we don't have national health coverage for all citizens like you Canadians do. But, most U.S. hospitals that employ nurses offer medical insurance as a benefit.

Welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

There shouldn't be any problems about your age. I think after spending some time around here, you will see that there are a lot of people who are going into nursing as a second (or third!) career!

I would apply to any and all programs, because they are not easy to get into. However, I would focus on getting your BSN.

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