Published
hello, i need some advice.
i am your average housewife..ive been married 20 years and i have 7 children. i have worked as a cna/chha off and on for about 14 years now. i stopped working when i had my last child..well, it turns out that my little boy is very disabled. right now we know he has atypical moebius syndrome, he is deaf, mentally retarded, and he has a feeding tube because he cant/wont eat solid food.we are still making our way through various genetic tests, but so far they have come up normal! its very difficult, needless to say. that aside, caring for him has inspired me to start working again, and i really REALLY would like to go to school to become an lpn. is it possible at my age? i am 37 right now, and have several obstacles to overcome before i could actually go, meaning i would be around 39/40 before i even got started! any advice/encouragement/whatever would be much appreciated!!
I wouldn't be concerned about your age, I'd be concerned about your children. Kids are a full time commitment as is NS. I went from primary caregiver to almost a visitor in my own home when I started NS. Would that be ok with 7 kids and one who is severely disabled? I think it would depend on your support system. A woman with 9 kids graduated from our program with honors a couple years ago. She had a whole family's worth of support and was a naturally good test taker.
I just started LPN school & I'm 43 years old, I refuse to let age get in my way!! My aunt was in her late 40's when she got her GED!! Do not let age stand in the way of your dreams, if your heart is telling you to do it, then do it!! Like someone told me "close your eyes & take a leap of faith".
I went back to school at the age of 55 after working for piggly wiggly 33 years. For years I had bad dreams about not having my work in or not understanding what the instructor was saying. You bet I was scared. The good news, I was almost always in the top three in my classes! When I got to clinicals I was a fish out of water. I did get a job in longterm care and do enjoy what I do. You've heard of the light at the end of the tunnel? Well it takes a long time before it's bright enough to make you actually blink. But, It Can Be Done. Good luck to you.
I started a LPN program a few couple of months ago and I am 36. It is absolutely possible if you really want it, and are willing to work for it. Though my class is mainly twenty somethings, there is definitely a few students who are my age and older so don't fret about your age when your begin. Go get the GED,and find out what LPN programs are in your area. Also think about who will be helping you with childcare. Get all your ducks in a row prior to starting. Sometimes it's not in our time, but in God's. God bless.
ShesAcuteNurse, ADN, LPN
79 Posts
I am in my forties with 4 kids, 3 of them grown. My school age son and one of my "grown" kids are the only ones at home. I am in my first semester of LPN program and while anything worth having is going to be challenging, it is definitely possible. There are quite a few in my class who are 30+, 40+, and at least one that's 50+. Age is not going to be your problem. Time management, discipline, and sheer will are the things you're going to need plenty of.