What would you consider too young? I will be graduating university with a BSN at the age of 22. would you consider this too young to be a ful time nurse? I look really young and how does this affect patients? I Had a patent last week think I was 14 (I'm 20). yep they let 14year olds pass out meds now!!!!
I guess some people at my age are married with kids and have that responsibility. but sometimes i feel like i'm not ready for the real world. and other times I can't wait to enter the real world.
I know i'm not the youngest to graduate but i still feel so unprepared.
I graduated when I was 21 with a BSN. No sweat. Just be sure to introduce yourself when you go in the room, and identify yourself as their nurse.
When I was 23, and doing volunteer work in Bangladesh, I had trouble getting a visa to visit India, the visa official kept saying "but you are very young to be a nurse, our women take many years to study for such a thing". I kept saying, "I've been a nurse for nearly 3 years, and yes I did go to the university for four years" over and over. Part of the problem was I had no father, brother or husband traveling with me!
What would you consider too young? I will be graduating university with a BSN at the age of 22. would you consider this too young to be a ful time nurse? I look really young and how does this affect patients? I Had a patent last week think I was 14 (I'm 20). yep they let 14year olds pass out meds now!!!!
I guess some people at my age are married with kids and have that responsibility. but sometimes i feel like i'm not ready for the real world. and other times I can't wait to enter the real world.
I know i'm not the youngest to graduate but i still feel so unprepared.
what do you guys think?
I was 20 when I graduated with my ADN and got my RN license.
I'll be 21 when I get my BSN.
I don't see a problem? I do find that I have a lot of "mommies" where I work. That can be annoying, but good in some ways as well. You'll find that you'll be younger than most of their kids... as most nurses are older. at least, in my area they are.
It's not that young. I graduated at 20 and was full time nursing. I'm 27 now and a charge nurse in an emergency department. I guess it all comes down to attitude and experience.
Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.
There are already some great responses to your post. But just had to let you know that I was only 20 when I started working as an RN. I did have a terrible struggle adjusting to being a nurse... Several reasons for this though. (One being that the hospital gave me a pathetic orientation! When I look back, it actually makes me rather angry at how little support I was given...) But I think part of the problem was indeed my age - at age 20 I was just lacking in "life experience". Although I really had a mature and professional personality, my life experiences were so limited that is was hard for me to know how to act and respond to some of the complex psychosocial situations that arise when you care for patients.
Like your experiences as a student, I remember patients questioning if I was "old enough" to be nurse when I first started working as an RN. Sometimes I would be in the hallway, and hear the patient in "a" bed make a comment to the "b" bed patient about my age. They let me take care of them though!
The good news is this: I survived! I am now 34 years old and have been a nurse 14 years now. And I even went back and got my BSN a few years ago.
Funny though - I still get comments about my age! People will ask how long I have been a nurse, and when I say 14 years, the response is usually, "WHAT!? You don't look old enough to have been a nurse 14 years!"
Atleast you will be 22 (not 20) when you graduate - two years does make a difference in maturity and how you see life. And you will have your BSN already...which gives you a more rounded education. I think you will do just fine!
What would you consider too young? I will be graduating university with a BSN at the age of 22. would you consider this too young to be a ful time nurse? I look really young and how does this affect patients? I Had a patent last week think I was 14 (I'm 20). yep they let 14year olds pass out meds now!!!!
I guess some people at my age are married with kids and have that responsibility. but sometimes i feel like i'm not ready for the real world. and other times I can't wait to enter the real world.
I know i'm not the youngest to graduate but i still feel so unprepared.
What would you consider too young? I will be graduating university with a BSN at the age of 22. would you consider this too young to be a ful time nurse? I look really young and how does this affect patients? I Had a patent last week think I was 14 (I'm 20). yep they let 14year olds pass out meds now!!!!
I guess some people at my age are married with kids and have that responsibility. but sometimes i feel like i'm not ready for the real world. and other times I can't wait to enter the real world.
I know i'm not the youngest to graduate but i still feel so unprepared.
what do you guys think?
You're GRADUATING with your BSN. Now is the perfect time to start. Why would you even ask such a question? You're probably always going to look young!! LOL! Be glad. When you're my age (55), you'll be GLAD people think you are young!
I was 19 when I graduated in 1973 from my ADN program. I finished high school a year early because I wanted to go to nursing school, and did. I married at 18, graduated at 19, had a baby and a house at 20. I figure I will probably be a nurse 50 years before I can actually retire!
I have met 19 year olds who showed remarkable maturity and strength and I have met 40 year olds who were so immature and weak it scared me. Age is a number we all must face. Your demeanor and professionalism will overcome any doubts as to your ability.
Congratulations, you are about to enter an amazing venture into the realities of life most people never encounter. People who work in banks, insurance offices, retail and other "business" related careers will never see the world as we do. We see the pain, the suffering, the joy and the love that others may only have fleeting glimpses of. We see people and society at their best and their worst. We have the uncommon opportunity to actually impact lives in a major way. 10-20 and more years from now when you are exchanging stories with your collegues (families will not understand them) , you will look back at some of the encounters you have had, and be truly thankful for them. They will enrich and change your life forever. It is up to you to sort thru the good and the bad and turn them into positive influences in your life. Go forth and take the world by the horns!
I was 19 when I graduated in 1973 from my ADN program. I finished high school a year early because I wanted to go to nursing school, and did. I married at 18, graduated at 19, had a baby and a house at 20. I figure I will probably be a nurse 50 years before I can actually retire!
I have met 19 year olds who showed remarkable maturity and strength and I have met 40 year olds who were so immature and weak it scared me. Age is a number we all must face. Your demeanor and professionalism will overcome any doubts as to your ability.
Congratulations, you are about to enter an amazing venture into the realities of life most people never encounter. People who work in banks, insurance offices, retail and other "business" related careers will never see the world as we do. We see the pain, the suffering, the joy and the love that others may only have fleeting glimpses of. We see people and society at their best and their worst. We have the uncommon opportunity to actually impact lives in a major way. 10-20 and more years from now when you are exchanging stories with your collegues (families will not understand them) , you will look back at some of the encounters you have had, and be truly thankful for them. They will enrich and change your life forever. It is up to you to sort thru the good and the bad and turn them into positive influences in your life. Go forth and take the world by the horns!
This is a wonderful post. You know, I do think we nurses are blest to be in such a rewarduing profession and I do agree that we seee things as others never will. How lucky we are! Thankd for the above post. It is an inspiration to all.
It is where your heart is and a little humor probably helps.
Patient: "You're too young to give me that shot!"
You: "Oh! Do I really look that young? Thank you for the complement! Guess you won't believe me if I told you I am actually 30 years old"
Patient: "No way! How old are you?"
You: "I won't tell you because you are not going to belief it. But I went to nursing school and I am at the top of my class. This hospital hired me because I am good. Beside you want someone who is young to give you a shot, we got really good eye hand coordination. Let me have your arm..."
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Also after a few years in nursing, as other people who posted already imply, you are going to have life experience (both the high and the low) that most people won't have in their life time. So don't wait till you are something like 30 years to have enough life experience, but go into your profession full hearted and get the life experience in a few years.
What would you consider too young? I will be graduating university with a BSN at the age of 22. would you consider this too young to be a ful time nurse? I look really young and how does this affect patients? I Had a patent last week think I was 14 (I'm 20). yep they let 14year olds pass out meds now!!!!
I guess some people at my age are married with kids and have that responsibility. but sometimes i feel like i'm not ready for the real world. and other times I can't wait to enter the real world.
I know i'm not the youngest to graduate but i still feel so unprepared.
what do you guys think?
I had the same thing happen to me when I graduated. i worked in an infusion center, and had several patients ask me if I knew what I was doing, or if this was the first time I stuck someone. It always made me angry. Just because I'm young does not mean that I don't know my job! Just do your best, and they'll never ask you dumb questions again!
spidermonkey
144 Posts
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