Travel nurse or in home care
Travel nurse or in home care
It depends on what setting you work in . You would have a hard time working in a hospital . 12 hour shifts , morbidly obese patients (lift devices and adequate lift help aren’t always available ) and staffing shortages make it difficult. Also your age puts you at high risk for diseases like Covid .
Follow your passion, but definitely be aware that nursing can be very stressful and physical. You work a lot of times with people having one of their worse times of their lives, you also work with a lot of people that have zero gratitude for the hard work nurses do. It can definitely be very gratifying at times but also expect days that might be compared with hell. Definitely some settings not ideal for a 70 y/o but you could definitely find your safe place. Best of luck.
I work in two different hospitals and I’ve seen a lot of both sides not an easy profession.
If you pursue this, you will likely never practice as a nurse, or only do so for a small number of years.
With that being said, as long as you can afford school and aren't spending money you don't have expecting your future nurse's salary to pay it back, I say go for it. You have to do something with your time. Why not nursing school? Best case, you graduate healthy and practice for 5+ years. Worst case, you never graduate or never even get the pre-reqs done. I guess the answer to "why not?" is opportunity cost. If you're giving up something else you highly value (time with grandkids for example), then it might not be worth it.
You will most likely need to retake several prerequisites. My wife had to spend a year taking anatomy&physiology and the like because those undergrad credits had just expired (if I recall the cutoff was 5 years).
Also being a nurse doesn’t necessarily mean working on a med surg floor working insane shifts. If you’re ok making less money there are other offices/programs/etc that need nurses.
My wife is an ER nurse, 20 plus years.
I showed her this thread and she said go for it.
She works with a male nurse now who was in the Marine Corps then a cop and now is a 60 plus year old nurse...and a damn good one.
Go for it! And raise the bar for your peers who think they're too old to accomplish something. I was in the medical field and I've never made an excuse to start over with something different. I've done several completely different jobs because I wanted a change. I became a manager of every title I've held. Security Manager Safety Manager Critical Care Manager Sales Manager PTA President (most interesting experience) etc. I've done a lot and been successful. Pursue what you want with a passion and you'll succeed. Your error is seeking someone else's approval to pursue your goals. Go for it!!!
do you girl, you have one life to live.
Go for it, but understand it may not lead to employment. My dad retired early and then went to law school at 53. He was on law review and graduated in the top 20% of his class from a good, but not top tier school. He didn’t get any job he interviewed for, because at his age and experience level they thought he wouldn’t be willing for work for a “starting” law salary. (He would have; he wasn’t doing it for money). But you can imagine how a 45 year old partner feels about a having 56 year old guy with an MBA and JD and 30 years of management experience reporting to him.
Eventually he let it go and has done pro-Bono work for the last several years. He basically just takes on cases that interest him.
There is more demand for nurses than lawyers though, so you may be able to find a job
You’re too old. Give it up grandma
2/10
Go for it! I am 63, lifelong runner and a registered nurse. I've been an RN for 3 years. You might need more than 2 years with prerequisites. Good growing career field. I work 3 x 12 hours each week. This field has no age discriminatio, 1000 varieties and you can do it about anywhere. Take the first step and contact your local community college today.
Nurse Getty wrote:
I see a lot of threads about middle-aged posters wanting to become software developers but not really any on becoming a nurse. I have an undergraduate degree so would only have to go to nursing school. How many years is nursing school - 2? If only 2 I would be 70 when I finished. Would I be too old? I have a lot of energy so the workload would be no problem. But I only seem to see fairly young nurses. I have worked my whole life in the oil & gas industry and am ready for a change. I have always wanted to be a nurse. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet and register for nursing school?
No. I’m a youthful 46 and been a nurse for 24 years. Don’t do it. Especially now. It isn’t what you think...
Dumb. If you haven’t found fulfillment by now, you are out of luck. Honestly.....
You would be too old. Nursing is for the young. It is a tough job. Some rarely make it into their 70s, but they have desk jobs and pull from decades of bedside experience.
runnER/DR wrote:
You would be too old. Nursing is for the young. It is a tough job. Some rarely make it into their 70s, but they have desk jobs and pull from decades of bedside experience.
This^. Listen to the DR. Don't listen to the feel good posters above.
And there is a lot of difference in between early 60s and 70. Other nurses would be baby sitting you, and I would not want a 70 yo nurse tending to me, esp. with no long term experience.
In many areas of the country there is a significant shortage of qualified nurses, and employers will take whatever they can get. There can also be significant burnout in many areas of practice.
Absolutely go for it if you think it's something you'd enjoy. Just try not to go into debt for the education you'll need. Many nursing programs are fairly inexpensive or subsidized, and some employers will also pay for the education for some type of contractual commitment.
Nurse Getty wrote:
I see a lot of threads about middle-aged posters wanting to become software developers but not really any on becoming a nurse. I have an undergraduate degree so would only have to go to nursing school. How many years is nursing school - 2? If only 2 I would be 70 when I finished. Would I be too old? I have a lot of energy so the workload would be no problem. But I only seem to see fairly young nurses. I have worked my whole life in the oil & gas industry and am ready for a change. I have always wanted to be a nurse. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet and register for nursing school?
Far be it from me to talk a person out of their dream. You might want to find out if places would actually hire a 70-year-old nurse. Of course they will all say they would, but you need to find someone to give you the truth...I do NOT know what that truth is.
There are things a nurse does that is tougher for older people...lifting, seeing details (how is your eyesight?).
Is money an issue? If not, why not find out about volunteer or low-paying positions where you could assist in some way?
how about med school?
Nurse Getty wrote:
I see a lot of threads about middle-aged posters wanting to become software developers but not really any on becoming a nurse. I have an undergraduate degree so would only have to go to nursing school. How many years is nursing school - 2? If only 2 I would be 70 when I finished. Would I be too old? I have a lot of energy so the workload would be no problem. But I only seem to see fairly young nurses. I have worked my whole life in the oil & gas industry and am ready for a change. I have always wanted to be a nurse. What do you think? Should I bite the bullet and register for nursing school?
You're never too old. If you can dream it, you can do it. Go for it! What the Hell do you have to lose?