Should I go back to nursing school?

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Hi, I am the 45 year old mom of 7. I started my college career in 1988. I took classes leaning toward premed. I then decided this wasn't for me after one year. I met my husband and he encouraged me to try nursing school. I got into Bethel College of Nursing in Colorado Springs and finished a semester with a 4.0. We moved. I got into Deaconess College of Nursing in St Louis. Did one more semester maintained my 4.0. We moved I had more babies. I never finished. I need to go back to school. My youngest is 5. I homeschooled my older kids so I have stayed up with school. I have worked the last two years at the public school. It doesn't seem like something I want to do forever. Am I to old to go back to nursing school? My oldest is a sophomore in college doing microbiology and it still sounds so interesting. Sorry this is so long just trying to make the right choice.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

No such thing as too old, go for it!

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Right choice? Well if you don't do it you make a choice of NOT doing it. So you are already making a choice. No one but you knows if you should do it. What is right for one person may not be for another.

I have been a nurse 10 years. It is HARD work. I have seen nurses sued and fired. You will be working 12 hour shifts and probably nights. Just be prepared. Good luck.

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Specializes in Med surg/ tele, LDRP.

The majority of people going back to school are doing so as a career change, this means they are in their 40's or 50's. My nursing class had ages from 21 to 59. You are never too old for school, never too old for anything. My mom went from a pharmacy tech who barely spoke English to a radiologist, while being a single mom of 3, living in the ghettoes of Long Beach, CA. She was 48 when she graduated and now living the life she's always wanted to live. As I see it, you still have many years to work, why not live them while working somewhere you love??

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The fact that you have 7 kids and still have the energy to want to go to school is amazing! I say go for it! My mom is the same age as you and had 6 kids and I don't see her as being too "old". I think you will be surprised once you go back to college and see how many people are in the same age group as you! I was often one of the youngest in my classes at 22. Now im a few years older and have 3 kids under 3 (baby #3 is due any minute) and I just started a BSN program this year. So many people told me it's impossible and look at me like I'm crazy but if you have the motivation and determination it is totally doable.

Again to recap, no you are not too old. There will always be people trying to trip you and put a seed of doubt in your heart but don't pay attention to them. If your husband is supportive and your kids are ok then go ahead and do it!

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

Go for it. I went to nursing school in my 50's

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If you have the desire to be a nurse I say go for it. My husband and I have 11 children, I have had 4 heart surgeries and a pacemaker implant and I am about to be 39yrs old, and just hit my one year anniversary for my RN and my three year anniversary for my lvn in the same month. I let my age, circumstances and fear of failure keep me from being a nurse for too long. It took me almost dying to decide that life is too short to live in fear and as long as I try with everything in me there is no way I am a failure because in the end I will definitely be further along in life than where I began simply because I had the guts to try. Good luck with which ever choice is right for you.

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If you sense that you may have any lingering regret in twenty years if you do not finish nursing school, I highly recommend that you finish what you started, while you can still remedy the situation. The end of life years have too much disappointment as it is, without adding one more thing to obsess about when you could have done something about it at a younger age.

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Thanks so much to everyone who replied. It sounds like nursing school it is. Can't wait to get started on a new old journey.

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