Too old to do NP program?

[med_life_for_me]

So, a little about myself...

I waited to go back to school later in life so I didn't graduate college until I was 30. My degree is in Psychology but I took some med courses in my last semester because I wanted to go to PA school.

During that time, I worked at a hospital for 3 years and had the opportunity to see both NP and PA in action. I was set on the PA route, however, after lurking on both nursing and PA forums, I feel nursing is a better choice for me. It seems more holistic and the path that I want to take. There is strong lobbying power and also the ability to move within the hospital system to leadership and admin roles more so than PA route.

In saying that, and in knowing my age and education level....should I go the advanced BSN route or should I go the community college route and get my ADN then BSN then NP? Or am I considered too old to enter into a nursing career?

Cost is obviously is factor, as is time, and I want to know how many years a facility wants to see (experience-wise) from an RN before they consider them for an NP position.

I have many more questions...but I will start there.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer!

[littlepeopleRNICU]

If you know you want to go to NP school, I would just go ahead and get your BSN now. With prices now, there are a lot of schools that are cheaper to get a BSN outright versus getting an ADN first. Nothing wrong with going to the ADN-BSN route though. It's what I did! Plus to it is you'd get RN experience while finishing out your BSN. But if you're looking to shave off time and money, I would just go for the BSN.

[med_life_for_me]

I'm noticing that because I already have a B.S. degree that getting any type of aid or grant is pretty much impossible. Also, since I'd be going for a 2nd Bachelors degree my original school loans can't be deferred. However, I noticed that if I go the Direct MSN route it is more of a possibility of money available to me for school and the ability to defer loans. Do any of you think that is a bad idea though (since I won't having any actual nursing experience)? What good will a masters be if I can't get a job once I'm done because I haven't even worked bedside? I guess my other question is this....whether I went ADN, BSN etc. will there be a lot of heavy lifting in the job? I only ask because I was in an accident a couple of years ago and my neck and back were messed up. I'm not permanently damaged or anything but I can't lift anymore (not even weight lifting like I used to do). How will this impact my ability to find a job?

[CocoaLoverFNP]

Where do people get this idea that you have to achieve everything before 35 or you're a failure? I mean....what do we do after 35? Decline, shrivel, and die?

Too funny!

[Mattskiematt]

I know someone who have finished nursing at the age of 50's. We took our exams together and have worked for a period of time. I must say that I was really impressed, maybe her life experiences have worked for her and she's the kind of the empathetic ones when it comes to patient care. I don't think age is a factor. You'll be A-OK.

[mamacdon]

Hello. You are never too old to pursue your dream! I had a successful business career for 20 years, NO nursing experience, and was accepted for the Accelerated BSN program at Johns Hopkins, the Master's Entry at UCLA and at USD. I started the JHU ABSN in 2013, at the age of 52 and graduated in December 2014. I immediately started the MSN NP program at JHU and will finish in December 2016. We had an ABSN student in her 60s.

Many nursing schools value diversity and recognize that older students have a great deal to offer - maturity, other skills that can be applied to nursing, patience, etc. However, there are definitely some instructors that do not like older students, but who cares about a few bad apples?

My advice: focus on what you can bring to the profession. Life experience counts for a lot and your psychology background is a great asset. I would apply to either 2nd degree BSN programs (2 years or less to complete) or to Master's Entry programs.

My current faculty advisor told me not to worry about my age and shared she had just finished her PhD at age 65!

My decision to switch careers inspired a former colleague, then in his mid-30s, to do the same - he applied to med school and is now in his 3rd year.

As for a job, trust me, many employers will happily hire you as a new nurse grad to work in psych. If that is not what interests you, your interest in people and knowledge of psych will still be a big plus in your initial nursing job search.

Finally, a key reason I chose NP over MD is that nursing offers so many career options. There is a huge demand for nursing faculty, even for students that have just graduated. Nurses also work in management, administration, technology implementation, quality improvement, research, policy, the government, etc.

To close, I was incredibly inspired by a nurse midwife I met. She runs her own birthing center and women's health clinic and won the MacArthur Genius Award. She is tall, ramrod straight posture, looks fantastic, and jet sets all over the world to speak, give/receive awards, etc. She is 87!

Go for it! And good luck!

[mamacdon]

I forgot one thing in my post. Regarding financial aid, I had no trouble getting financial aid. There are scholarships specifically for older/2nd career nursing students and everyone is eligible for needs- and merit- based scholarships, in addition to a plethora of loans - private, state, federal. Once you become a Master's student, there are also grants/scholarships for specific specialties, as well. You can start to research these, and once you are accepted to a school, their financial aid office should be able to provide additional assistance.

[med_life_for_me]

Very inspiring...thank you :)

[newenglandRN36]

Are you interested in becoming a FNP, NNP, GNP, or what may be the best option for you: PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner)? The PMHNP route may be shortened due to your degree in psychology, not to mention that you can present yourself as an experienced practitioner to potential employers (assuming that you have experience working in the field of psych). Also, I have read that it is not a necessity to have floor nursing experience prior to entering an NP program. I hope this helps. Good luck!!!