Nursing as a Second Career

by Kathy
(Indiana)

Your Question:
I just turned 52 and would like to know if that is just too old to start nursing as a second career? Also, just how much math is involved? Math has never been one of my strong points.



My Answer:

Hi Kathy. Thank you so much for checking out our site. I am a bit of an optimist, but no, I don't believe 52 is too old to pursue a second career as a nurse. According to the US Health Resources and Service Administration, as of 2004, 41% of all RN were over the age of 50. It is no surprise that there is currently a large nursing shortage, and despite recent economic problem, the job market for nurses will rise.

I do believe you will need to decide a few things though considering your age. First you will need to decide which educational path is right for you. At 52, I would highly consider the associate degree path. There are more ADN programs available, and while you will have to do prerequisites still, the number of classes should be less than if you choose the bachelors degree route.

If you already have a bachelors degree however, you may want to consider the accelerated BSN program. These programs are high intensity, but are usually around 18 months in length which may be attractive to someone in your situation who is trying to go into nursing as a second career.

Don't worry too much about the math. It honestly is not that bad. You do use it on a daily basis, however it is more basic than many people like to exaggerate. Once you are in school, you can look at the formulas they give you and realize it is mostly basic functions such as division and multiplication. Check out all of our nursing math pages for a more detailed look at what you can expect.

Good luck!
Shannon