Published
Well, I'm 28 and am in a 2-year program with the intention of getting my BSN eventually.
I am not the oldest in my class by a long shot. My own personal "group" I stick with to study in has two students in their 50's, me, and one student in her early 20's who still lives at home. It's a great opportunity to meet and interact with people with many different experiences and views.
I work as a NA and many of my RN coworkers went back to school in their 30's and 40's as a second career: I live in the rural South, in what used to be a textile manufacturing town before the jobs went overseas.
You're likely to be outnumbered by students in their early 20's who joined right out of high school, but I doubt very much you will be the only "older" student. I would not let that deter you!
I just started my nursing program at 35 after finishing my pre-reqs and I will be 37 when I graduate. I haven't polled the ages of my classmates, but I'd say its a healthy mix of traditional and non-traditional.
The ages of your potential classmates shouldn't matter, though. If you want it, go get it!
I mean it really doesn't matter. If you want it, go for it. Don't know too much about ultrasound but if it is flexible you can do it while completing your pre-reqs and while in your RN program.
I'm 27, currently in fundamentals. I will be 29 when I finish my ADN. I plan to work a year or two until tuition reimbursement kicks in and then go for my BSN. That puts me around 33 when I finish my BSN. This is similar to your time frame and I can tell you this: I don't care that I will be 33 when I finish my BSN. Would it have been better if I have pursued nursing sooner, sure. Was I actually ready to pursue nursing school right out of high school, definitely not. I can't change the past and I will have 35+ years to have a career in nursing.
BTW my cohort has 3-4 peers age 18-24. Most are 25-45 with about 3-4 over 50. Literally the only time age has been a factor was when we couldn't sit in the bar area at a restaurant because we had two peers under 21 with us. The tacos were still awesome though.
bluestar776
145 Posts
I've always been drawn to nursing I have quite a few posts about it. I'm in Ultrasound now and want to finish it. I'm really tempted to apply but by the time I can start i'll be 29..
Wondering how old some of you started nursing and if any of you took the four year degree program how old were your classmates?