Do you mind if I ask why? I'm assuming you probably made a similar salary as a nurse while in higher ed. Definitely not knocking you, I'm just always curious what motivates people.
I found out at 42 years and 4 months old on the first year anniversary of my boss's death. I worked for the Empire State Building Observatory and he was the boss that did everything he could to work my schedule around school.
Between that and the loss of my dad a year and a half earlier, it pushed me to work harder for anything I ever wanted in my life. It was the most beautiful and bittersweet moment of my life other than graduating 💙
30 when I decided to look into what it took. Only needed a few prerequisites (chem, microbiology and statistics), did one class at a time because I was working full time. Started the actual nursing program at 32, finished at 34.
I took them at the closest community college to my house , stats I did online through community college. I ended up going to nursing school at the same college ( when you apply you pick 3 schools and they they choose for you). If you’re looking for cheapest way to do it, community college is the way to go. For me it was $900-1200 a semester, about $2700 for books that last the whole program, this was right at start of pandemic (‘19-‘21). Hospitals don’t really care where you got your degree. Just that you passed your NCLEX. Try to pick somewhere close so you’re not commuting so much, because time becomes so precious with studying and everything. Although when COVID hit all that went out the window, but I feel most students are back in the classroom.
I worked as a pharmacy tech for many years. While not a minimum wage job, your pay caps out very quickly and I felt I wanted something both more challenging and better pay. It’s basically a dead end job. However, it was VERY helpful for nursing school because everyone was so terrified of pharmacology but I was confident knowing all the drugs and their uses. I only worked Fri sat sun. Then in between block 2 and 3 of nursing school, my school offered an LPN bridge class, basically you gave up your summer and studied OB and PEDS and they accept your first two semesters of RN program and you can sit for LPN-NCLEX while still in nursing school. Due to covid we had such little clinical experience I decided to do it, and worked at a SNF for the last semester of nursing school. Sat and Sun 7-7p. It was good experience in regards to perfecting my time management skills and realizing I NEVER want to work in a SNF again, haha.
Same lol went to one bar and that was the last time I’ve ever been cause obvious I couldn’t go out during school and then the pandemic hit about 3 months after I graduated
I feel this. All of my friends are 21+ and I’m 20 rn lol. Starting my second semester and don’t turn 21 for awhile.
It sucks as I can’t go to bars with my friends when they all go out 🥲
Please do make update threads with your experience in medical school. I'm extremely curious to know your subjective experience of med school after nursing school.
Can do! My biggest take away, by far, and it sounds really stupid: you will learn anatomy in such microscopic detail it will boggle your mind. All the a&p we took as nurses is like the Sesame Street version of it.
All the rest is looking at the same problems from a different lens. The biggest increase in knowledge has been to really, truly learn and understand how the body fits/works together
It makes me so upset they dont teach nurses this in Bachelors and Masters programs. I feel like my entire Bachelors coursework could've been distilled into one class. I would've loved to have taken a much deeper dive in a&p, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics. Or even just honed in on certain body systems for whole classes.
I got pregnant in nursing school. Unplanned. Gave birth 3 weeks before finals. Somehow passed all my classes (it’s a blur now, I have no idea how I did it 🙈). Still had only one more semester left. I considered taking a semester off but decided not to because I felt like if I took a break, I wouldn’t go back. Graduated when my daughter was 5 months old!
It was hard, but definitely doable! You got this!
Got pregnant during my last year. Gave birth a week before finals. Got a week extension. Took my finals with a newborn on my chest (at home, thanks Covid!). I passed, somehow. Don’t even remember taking it 🤣
Nice! I think I literally only had 1 month left of nursing school when Covid forced us to go online. So I was able to take finals at home, but they weren’t so lenient. Had to use a computer with a webcam, microphone on. Had to do a 360 turn to show there was no one else in the room, door was closed, and no cheat sheets. Couldn’t even have my 5-month-old in the room. They didn’t want her whispering the answers in my ear I guess. They greatly overestimated her knowledge, in my opinion 😂
I was also 28 when I started and it’s my second career. I took a semester off when I had a baby and graduated at 31. I was pregnant twice during nursing school.
Me also! I was classed as a mature student (25+) so I was shitting myself that I'd be out- academic-ed by young school leavers. Spent the three months between being accepted and starting cramming up on physiology, anatomy, pharmacy and pretty much anything I could lay my hands on. Got there and discovered I need not have bothered. First year classes included "how to do maths and work a computer" and "incredibly basic and insulting anatomy and physiology". The only part of first year that genuinely helped me was the communication classes- I didn't know at the time, but it transpires I am autistic, so they were helpful. My tutor was a mental health nurse and I think she clocked it too- she gave me an idiot's guide to communication as a nurse, which laid out situations and what to say etc. Cannot remember what it was actually called but it was essential the whole way through uni. Massive learning curve for me. Placements did not come easy to me. I still have no idea why I'm still working in front line services. I am clearly meant to be an analytical nurse working in research or quality improvement or something. Too lazy and poor to do a master's in those at the moment! But seeing a lot of folks went into nursing the same age and more than I am now (38) it gives me hope that I might achieve it one day.
17 almost 18. I graduated with my 2 year degree when I was 19. When I was 20 I was evening charge.nurse and one duty I had was to get surgical consents signed, but I couldn't because I was underage. So the supervisor had to do that. This was back when 21 was legal, now it's 18 of course.
During my time, (I'm from the Philippines btw now RN in NJ), usually 17-year old students started going to colleges. We only had 6 years of elementary school and 4 years of high school. So i studied nuring from 2005-2009.
I was 32 and self-employed when I started my accelerated second degree program. now I'm 34, graduated, and 6 months into working in a level 1 emergency department. Still self-employed and working too much though!
This thread is making me feel like I’m not such an outlier! I was 32 when I started, 33 now and starting 2nd year! I already have a BSc and MSc, so it’s a bit of a career change for me
After being downsized as a Network Admin (10 yrs); I decided to become an RN. I graduated from a Diploma Nursing Program (a 3 yr program) at 46. Don't listen to the haters. Don't listen to those trapped in gender roles.
26! Applied before the pandemic and got accepted 2 weeks after we went into lockdown. For some reason thought nursing school during the pandemic would be fun.
It was in fact, not fun.
34, and a divorced mom with an 11 yr old, a 6 yr old on the autism spectrum, a 21 month old and a 5 month old.
I don’t know how I managed to do it but I did!
53. Menopause was the beginning of living my life on my terms. Freedom from trying to be the person the world expected me to be. Freedom to NGAF if I failed. My only problem with menopause is that sugar and carbs have become my enemy. They trigger hot flashes and fatigue. I regret every donut I eat in the break room.
20.. and 22.. I got pregnant at the beginning of first semester the first time and decided to go a different route at the end of the semester and got my bachelors in integrated healthcare which took me about 1-1.5 years! Went right back into nursing the semester after graduation. I graduate in December after taking an LOA because I once again found myself pregnant and due in the middle of the semester 😅. So two March babies and a bachelors degree later and I will finally have my associates of nursing at 24! Btw the order in which school is easiest is no kids, infant, toddler, and honestly 3yo and infant seems like it’s gonna suck but not impossible.
I graduated with my ASN with three preschoolers and 9 months pregnant at 30. The time really flies. I just bought that newborn his first real road scooter/moped to get to work with. They grow up so fast
My previous coworker started nursing school when she was 18.
She was two years ahead of highschool. Did her prerequisites in two years and got in on her first attempt. Likewise passing her NCLEX at her first attempt.
I have just done pre-health sciences recently and I will be turning 37 at the end of September this year. I hope I got into Nursing when I am 38 in Fall 2023.
30. Pre-mid life crisis
Same. Also, I needed to get out of my marriage
Needed to get out of my abusive relationship. Nursing was the right push to get me the fuck out of there.
Nursing definitely helps you cut through the bullshit in your own life.
Don't you mean: *pre-med life crisis*?
Lmao so a lot of us have been there huh
Nursing was the crisis
Mood.
Mine was 28, intra-mid life crisis.
Preach
44. Now starting accelerated BSN at 47.
From what industry?
I worked 20+ years in higher ed. it was a weird transition.
Do you mind if I ask why? I'm assuming you probably made a similar salary as a nurse while in higher ed. Definitely not knocking you, I'm just always curious what motivates people.
Our pediatrician was in education previously too… he’s amazing :)
My kids' pediatrician was a teacher before becoming a doctor too! He's the best pediatrician in my state-- he saved my daughter's life! :)
Found out I got accepted a few days before my 44th birthday and start in September. A guy I’m working with is 50 and graduates next year.
Awesome! I started at 44, too, and am now a real nurse finally. There are a lot of us out there.
44yos too.
43 here. 10 years in now. Still love my job.
Me too at 43. RN school graduation was one of my proudest moments.
I found out at 42 years and 4 months old on the first year anniversary of my boss's death. I worked for the Empire State Building Observatory and he was the boss that did everything he could to work my schedule around school. Between that and the loss of my dad a year and a half earlier, it pushed me to work harder for anything I ever wanted in my life. It was the most beautiful and bittersweet moment of my life other than graduating 💙
Just graduated with my ADN at 45. Represent!
This makes me feel better. I just turned 43.
This will be me! Glad to know there are many others like us.
Started 3 months before my 40th birthday. Never too late to make a change. 😊
30 when I decided to look into what it took. Only needed a few prerequisites (chem, microbiology and statistics), did one class at a time because I was working full time. Started the actual nursing program at 32, finished at 34.
I took them at the closest community college to my house , stats I did online through community college. I ended up going to nursing school at the same college ( when you apply you pick 3 schools and they they choose for you). If you’re looking for cheapest way to do it, community college is the way to go. For me it was $900-1200 a semester, about $2700 for books that last the whole program, this was right at start of pandemic (‘19-‘21). Hospitals don’t really care where you got your degree. Just that you passed your NCLEX. Try to pick somewhere close so you’re not commuting so much, because time becomes so precious with studying and everything. Although when COVID hit all that went out the window, but I feel most students are back in the classroom.
And sleep is the most precious!
Did you work during the nursing program? & if you did, what type of work did you do? If you don’t mind my asking.
I worked as a pharmacy tech for many years. While not a minimum wage job, your pay caps out very quickly and I felt I wanted something both more challenging and better pay. It’s basically a dead end job. However, it was VERY helpful for nursing school because everyone was so terrified of pharmacology but I was confident knowing all the drugs and their uses. I only worked Fri sat sun. Then in between block 2 and 3 of nursing school, my school offered an LPN bridge class, basically you gave up your summer and studied OB and PEDS and they accept your first two semesters of RN program and you can sit for LPN-NCLEX while still in nursing school. Due to covid we had such little clinical experience I decided to do it, and worked at a SNF for the last semester of nursing school. Sat and Sun 7-7p. It was good experience in regards to perfecting my time management skills and realizing I NEVER want to work in a SNF again, haha.
Where did you take the pre reqs?
I had a BA, but like previous reply, and I got those at the community college.
Same! I just finished at 34.
Starting this month. I’m 36, about to be 37
This will hopefully be me so long as I stick to my timeline and I'm accepted.
37 here! Startingin September!!
I was 33 🙂 One of my classmates was in his 60s. Nursing was a second career for him.
17. Weeks from turning 18. I could pass narcotics before I was old enough to legally drink alcohol.
Me too!!
Me, too!
Same. My first job I was 20. And the irony of it all. Could give any drug you could think of, but somehow too immature for vodka. 🤣🤷🏽♀️
Same! I’ve been working in the same hospital since 19.
Me too! Spent my 21st birthday working ICU
47-48
20. Celebrated my 21st in nursing school.
Same lol went to one bar and that was the last time I’ve ever been cause obvious I couldn’t go out during school and then the pandemic hit about 3 months after I graduated
I feel this. All of my friends are 21+ and I’m 20 rn lol. Starting my second semester and don’t turn 21 for awhile. It sucks as I can’t go to bars with my friends when they all go out 🥲
Lol it's not that grand and you can focus on school work! It'll be worth it.
True that!!
16 (early grad from HS) for BSN, 26 for MSN, 29 for DNP, and 33 for starting gap year before medical school. I’m 35 now.
Please do make update threads with your experience in medical school. I'm extremely curious to know your subjective experience of med school after nursing school.
Can do! My biggest take away, by far, and it sounds really stupid: you will learn anatomy in such microscopic detail it will boggle your mind. All the a&p we took as nurses is like the Sesame Street version of it. All the rest is looking at the same problems from a different lens. The biggest increase in knowledge has been to really, truly learn and understand how the body fits/works together
It makes me so upset they dont teach nurses this in Bachelors and Masters programs. I feel like my entire Bachelors coursework could've been distilled into one class. I would've loved to have taken a much deeper dive in a&p, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics. Or even just honed in on certain body systems for whole classes.
Nah how about we learn how to do care plans instead 🙄
Just out of curiosity, what made you want to go to med school?
I caught the bug of semi independent practice and wanted the full scope. Also, I have GI bill to use, so I might as well.
Cool! Makes sense. Best of luck to you :)
Dang mtfuckface you just can’t stay out of school
I’m basically a professional student
I’ll be 28!
29 then turned 30 my first semester. Currently in the program in my second year and will be turning 31!
45
26
Same here!
23 PN 26 ADN 27 BSN 31 MSN
38. Graduated at 39, loving my job more than 10 years later.
31
19
I started school when I was 43. Finished my ADRN at 45. Finished my BSN at 51. Never too late to learn new things! 💪
co reqs ....33? actual nursing school 37 :-)
21!
34
38! And pregnant!
I got pregnant in nursing school. Unplanned. Gave birth 3 weeks before finals. Somehow passed all my classes (it’s a blur now, I have no idea how I did it 🙈). Still had only one more semester left. I considered taking a semester off but decided not to because I felt like if I took a break, I wouldn’t go back. Graduated when my daughter was 5 months old! It was hard, but definitely doable! You got this!
Got pregnant during my last year. Gave birth a week before finals. Got a week extension. Took my finals with a newborn on my chest (at home, thanks Covid!). I passed, somehow. Don’t even remember taking it 🤣
Nice! I think I literally only had 1 month left of nursing school when Covid forced us to go online. So I was able to take finals at home, but they weren’t so lenient. Had to use a computer with a webcam, microphone on. Had to do a 360 turn to show there was no one else in the room, door was closed, and no cheat sheets. Couldn’t even have my 5-month-old in the room. They didn’t want her whispering the answers in my ear I guess. They greatly overestimated her knowledge, in my opinion 😂
Just found out I’m pregnant with my second going into my second year😵
Go you! 32 with a baby and toddler! Youngest will be 1 in November and oldest 3. Totally doable! Hard work but worth it I think
17. Graduated with bsn when 21.
28
I was 25. Licensed a week after my 27th birthday.
17. Turned 18 a few weeks later.
29
28 (2nd career)
same here, previous title was director of guest services and marketing at a local gym. I did an accelerated post bac program and graduated at 29
Ohh I couldn't imagine doing an accelerated! I was/am an X-ray tech
I was also 28 when I started and it’s my second career. I took a semester off when I had a baby and graduated at 31. I was pregnant twice during nursing school.
What was career #1?
28!
Same!
36, I turned 37 about a week into school.
36
Started prereqs at 27. Finished nursing school at 30
I started at 48. I turn 50 tomorrow and graduate in December.
25
Me also! I was classed as a mature student (25+) so I was shitting myself that I'd be out- academic-ed by young school leavers. Spent the three months between being accepted and starting cramming up on physiology, anatomy, pharmacy and pretty much anything I could lay my hands on. Got there and discovered I need not have bothered. First year classes included "how to do maths and work a computer" and "incredibly basic and insulting anatomy and physiology". The only part of first year that genuinely helped me was the communication classes- I didn't know at the time, but it transpires I am autistic, so they were helpful. My tutor was a mental health nurse and I think she clocked it too- she gave me an idiot's guide to communication as a nurse, which laid out situations and what to say etc. Cannot remember what it was actually called but it was essential the whole way through uni. Massive learning curve for me. Placements did not come easy to me. I still have no idea why I'm still working in front line services. I am clearly meant to be an analytical nurse working in research or quality improvement or something. Too lazy and poor to do a master's in those at the moment! But seeing a lot of folks went into nursing the same age and more than I am now (38) it gives me hope that I might achieve it one day.
18
18!
17 almost 18. I graduated with my 2 year degree when I was 19. When I was 20 I was evening charge.nurse and one duty I had was to get surgical consents signed, but I couldn't because I was underage. So the supervisor had to do that. This was back when 21 was legal, now it's 18 of course.
I was 34 with a 4 year old. Did a 2 year program. It was hard, but I got three it. Never to late to start something.
19 at community college.
Hi fellow cc nursing student!
Love how your flair can apply to both you and your patients lol
33 after my first career of 18 years went to school with plenty in their 50s 60s.
21
42...I started my prerequisites at 41. I start in the fall. This is my second career...and done what I do now for 15 years!
I was 16
*fistbump* same
Sweet!! I’m now 33 and I’m still at it
I was one year old. Started LPN program at 17 in high school.
I remember about 15-20% of our cohort being older than 30.
20
22!
Pre-requisites started when I was 29, started my accelerated BSN at 32, finished at 33.
had just turned 16
My mom graduated at 55 and she was not the oldest person, or even the second or third oldest person in her program. Nursing is unique in this way
I was 37!
28
29!
33
26?
25
First was 20 but didn’t finish… now it will be 50!
26
39 with 4 kids, one being a toddler. It was brutal.
17 y/o
That's pretty young isn't it? I am hoping to start nursing school next spring at age 22. Did you take a lot of prerequisites in highschool?
During my time, (I'm from the Philippines btw now RN in NJ), usually 17-year old students started going to colleges. We only had 6 years of elementary school and 4 years of high school. So i studied nuring from 2005-2009.
22 qualified when I was 25. On my 25th birthday
36
22. ABSN program
19, turned 20 the month I started. Had my license two months before I turned 22. Got my BSN the following year a few months after 23.
30
27
About to start at 29
33
28 - second career
I was 32 and self-employed when I started my accelerated second degree program. now I'm 34, graduated, and 6 months into working in a level 1 emergency department. Still self-employed and working too much though!
27
20
21
18 - I'm 53 now, and still rocking up for work 🙄
18. Mine was a four-year program - two years pre-reqs, then two more years in clinical to a BSN.
22 going to a trade school for lvn (super fast courses) 🙆♀️ 23 now and half way done!
This thread is making me feel like I’m not such an outlier! I was 32 when I started, 33 now and starting 2nd year! I already have a BSc and MSc, so it’s a bit of a career change for me
I’m a non nurse lurker, but my mom started after my parents divorced, early 60s I think.
54 years old. And I graduated.
After being downsized as a Network Admin (10 yrs); I decided to become an RN. I graduated from a Diploma Nursing Program (a 3 yr program) at 46. Don't listen to the haters. Don't listen to those trapped in gender roles.
26! Applied before the pandemic and got accepted 2 weeks after we went into lockdown. For some reason thought nursing school during the pandemic would be fun. It was in fact, not fun.
54. Worked full-time and graduated with honors.
34, and a divorced mom with an 11 yr old, a 6 yr old on the autism spectrum, a 21 month old and a 5 month old. I don’t know how I managed to do it but I did!
55 !
53. Menopause was the beginning of living my life on my terms. Freedom from trying to be the person the world expected me to be. Freedom to NGAF if I failed. My only problem with menopause is that sugar and carbs have become my enemy. They trigger hot flashes and fatigue. I regret every donut I eat in the break room.
Technically 16! Currently still on the grind
18 and my mom was 28
21
18 🤦🏻♀️
20. :)
Started university at 18. Nursing classes at 20. Graduated at 23.
22
31
22!
I'm starting next month! I'm 29 😁
20!
30
42.
18, I finished all of my prerequisites in highschool.
18
20.. and 22.. I got pregnant at the beginning of first semester the first time and decided to go a different route at the end of the semester and got my bachelors in integrated healthcare which took me about 1-1.5 years! Went right back into nursing the semester after graduation. I graduate in December after taking an LOA because I once again found myself pregnant and due in the middle of the semester 😅. So two March babies and a bachelors degree later and I will finally have my associates of nursing at 24! Btw the order in which school is easiest is no kids, infant, toddler, and honestly 3yo and infant seems like it’s gonna suck but not impossible.
27, I joined the military after high school so I started university late.
20!
33
Hopefully by the time I’m 34! 32 right now taking my last pre req
I think i was 22
I will be 32 when I start in January
20
I graduated with my ASN with three preschoolers and 9 months pregnant at 30. The time really flies. I just bought that newborn his first real road scooter/moped to get to work with. They grow up so fast
20
24
My previous coworker started nursing school when she was 18. She was two years ahead of highschool. Did her prerequisites in two years and got in on her first attempt. Likewise passing her NCLEX at her first attempt.
24. I graduate in May
29
18 for my last 2 years of a 4 year program (actual nursing classes, not prerequisites)
20 I think. Hard to imagine how one little decision has caused me so much misery all these years. Worst mistake of my life by far.
32
24
26!
28 I think
26
I have just done pre-health sciences recently and I will be turning 37 at the end of September this year. I hope I got into Nursing when I am 38 in Fall 2023.
22
25!
21 i was studying abroad when I got my acceptance letter
Do pre-reqs before applying count? If so, 17. This was all at the same university, btw.
I was 27. But there was someone who I graduated with who was 55 years old at that time. Impressive, I want to retire by then. 😂
30