NursingLink

 Of course you should go for it!!! I've got one more semester of prerequisites and then hopefully start nursing school in the spring of 09.  i'll turn 40 in April 09!  If you don't do it now, you'll just be asking us in 10 years if 50 is too old to start nursing...and the answer will STILL be "Go for it!"

I started my prerequisits just before I turned fifty.  I graduated at the age of 52.  I continued to remind myself that no matter what my decision was I would still be 52 - nurse or not.

For school, I kept it simple:  1.  Don't ever act like you know everything, be humble  2.  Don't talk about your past accomplishments  3.  Work hard and put one foot in front of the other  4.  Be kind and helpful to every member of your class.  5.  Use good listening skills.

Our class worked together as a team, we graduated 40 out of 41 students.  All 40 passed the NCLEX on the first try.  We did this by taping the classes (with our instructors permission) uploaded them on to a private website, we had study groups, if a person was weak in a subject, we reassigned them to a study group that was strong on that subject, we shared notes and study tips.

As an RN:  1. Remember that your coworkers may not know you are a new grad and assume that you are much more experienced then you are.  (On more than one occasion, while I was in school doing clinicals, staff nurses and patients thought I was one of the instructors) 2.  There may be some bias towards hiring you, even in a nursing shortage several hospitals turned me down on the basis of age.  Remember though, that someone will hire you and once you have experience, if you work with a good heart, age will not be as big a factor.  3.  Never act like you know everything.  4.  Be honest, considerate and kind to every coworker.  5.  Always do the right thing.

Where am I right now?  I work as a staff Psych Nurse, in 3 different locations, as the unit educator at one and am working hard towards my Family APN. 

Good luck to you

You go girl!!!!

I'm also looking to start a career in nursing at the age of 42.  If I would have been thinking, I would have gotten the schooling out of the way, while I was a stay at home mom with my boys.  They are now 22 and 13, and I absolutely love the medical field everything about it interests me.  My mom was in an accident in 1997 and I took care of her while she was recovering from a broke back, and is now in an assisted living facility, and it doesn't bother me to go to the facility to take care of her and talk to the people who are also living there with her.  My question is how do you get started.  I would like to do as much as possible on line, I' m a self motivator.  I can read something and figure out how to do it, I love to learn, and have wanted to be a nurse as long as I can remember but didn't have the confidence in myself until recently when I took a night course for Pharmacy Technician and absolutely loved it, and then got offered the job I'm currently at as a Dialysis Technician, that took 10 weeks of training, and I then realized how much I enjoyed learning and working with people.   What kind of Pre Req's are involved, how do I get started?

Ok thanks I will check with the school in my area... 2BARN

I was 40 when I started working on my prereqs and almost 45 when I got my ADN. I posted a news article a couple of days ago titled, "Older Nurse Graduates Find Their Niche." I found it interesting. You should read it. It said it was common to enroll students in their 30's, 40's and 50's and average ages was 29.

I found another site http://www.allnursingschools.com/faqs/nursing_2nd_career.php that had these facts.

• According to the March 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 81.7% of RNs are over 35, while the average age for an RN is 45.2, and 11.1% of nurses are over 60.


• According to the same survey, the average age of nursing program graduates is currently 30.5, and this average is increasing every year—indicating that more and more students are entering the field after having pursued another career.


• Nursing school administrators report that second-career nursing students typically bring an energy and intensity of focus to their studies that their younger counterparts lack, and are often top performers academically.


• Potential employers value the maturity, professionalism, and advanced decision-making skills that older workers bring to nursing.

woodruffgapgal says ...

I started my prerequisits just before I turned fifty.  I graduated at the age of 52.  I continued to remind myself that no matter what my decision was I would still be 52 - nurse or not.

For school, I kept it simple:  1.  Don't ever act like you know everything, be humble  2.  Don't talk about your past accomplishments  3.  Work hard and put one foot in front of the other  4.  Be kind and helpful to every member of your class.  5.  Use good listening skills.

Our class worked together as a team, we graduated 40 out of 41 students.  All 40 passed the NCLEX on the first try.  We did this by taping the classes (with our instructors permission) uploaded them on to a private website, we had study groups, if a person was weak in a subject, we reassigned them to a study group that was strong on that subject, we shared notes and study tips.

As an RN:  1. Remember that your coworkers may not know you are a new grad and assume that you are much more experienced then you are.  (On more than one occasion, while I was in school doing clinicals, staff nurses and patients thought I was one of the instructors) 2.  There may be some bias towards hiring you, even in a nursing shortage several hospitals turned me down on the basis of age.  Remember though, that someone will hire you and once you have experience, if you work with a good heart, age will not be as big a factor.  3.  Never act like you know everything.  4.  Be honest, considerate and kind to every coworker.  5.  Always do the right thing.

Where am I right now?  I work as a staff Psych Nurse, in 3 different locations, as the unit educator at one and am working hard towards my Family APN. 

Good luck to you

I started RN program @ age 44- great advice given from woodruffgapgal ...  in many ways your age and life experience will be an asset!

I went back to school and got my ADN just before my 40th birthday.  While in school, my oldest son was born with Spina Bifida, went through multiple hospitalizations and neurosurgeries and yet I never missed a day of classes.  He can even say he went to college when  he was 18 months old.  He used to go to my A&P study group with me!  My youngest was born while I was in school as well, they are only 15 months apart.  He was very sick at birth and was in the NICU in critical condition for 3 days, with a total hospital stay of 11 days.  I only missed one lecture and the instructor was very understanding.  Today, I work as a Pediatric ICU nurse and am also working as a travel nurse.  My wife and kids travel the country with me, we homeschool the boys, now 5 and 6, and they get to 'see the world'.  Going back to school was the best thing I ever did!  I wouldn't trade any of the challenges I  faced for anything in the world.  It will seem scary and sometimes insurmountable at the time, but when you finish and look back, you will be thankful for all the challenges.  It will make you a better nurse and a better person.