[tobenurse]

Hello! I am a stay at home mom seriously considering getting into the nursing field. I have thought about becoming a nurse for a few years and now that my children are a little bigger I would like to make it a reality.
I am wondering though if it is too late for me to do this, I am 38 years old. Do any of you have any input? What feedback can you give me about being a nurse? I have always imagine it to be very rewarding.
Any thoughts or comments?
Thank you.

[nursinghumor]

Hello Tobe,

The answer is a resounding "no" as far as being too old. The key is how much do you want to become a nurse, and how long do you plan on working once you do graduate and start practicing. It also depends on when you're planning on retiring.

If you can work school around raising your kids, Nursing is a career that will serve you well, and open doors you probably never imagined. See http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com

It's common to see nursing students in their 50's going for a second career or just doing something they really want to.

I'd caution you that Nursing is like Plumbing. You work for your money. It is physically demanding and can be highly stressful.

These websites might help you decide:

Johnson & Johnson's site promoting nursing.
http://www.discovernursing.com

Nursing views of The Nursing Profession:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/views

To Stay in Nursing, or Not: A thread in our forums:
http://www.nursingdiscussions.com/stay

Hope these are helpful:

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com

[SoldierNurse]

I became an RN [passed NCLEX] in 1998 at age of 37. Plus, if I remember correctly the avg. age of RN's is 44 yrs old.

IMHO, you ain't too old.

[tobenurse]

Thank you very much for your comments. I will definately check out the web sites.