10 Surprising Reasons You’re Not Too Old for Nursing School

It doesn’t seem to matter the age, one thing I get asked more than anything else is “Am I too old for nursing school?” I don’t know where this assumption that nursing school is only for individuals straight out of high school came from, but it could not be further from the truth. So whether you’re 30, 40, 50 or beyond, I want you to know that you are not too old for nursing school. If this is your dream as an older nursing student, then you definitely can make it happen!

I asked, you answered!

When I polled over 500 nursing students in my Facebook group, 63% felt they had a distinct advantage over younger students, 22% felt the pros and cons balanced out, and only 15% felt they were at a disadvantage because of their age. In other words, most older students who’ve been through at least one semester of nursing school, felt like their age was a positive factor. That’s huge, my friend! And if it be a positive factor for them, it can be a positive factor for you, too.

Want to hear what they said? Click play on this video and I’ll talk you through all the reasons why you’re not too old for nursing school. You can also keep reading, if that’s your jam!

First, let’s get the disadvantages out of the way

I’m a “bad news first” kind of gal, so let’s get this part over with so we can get on with the good stuff! So, what were some of the disadvantages people felt about being an older nursing student?

• Time management and juggling family and school – This was probably the biggest factor in students feeling like they had a disadvantage. And it’s a very real concern. Kids take time, caring for aging parents takes time, having a job and running a household take time. To help you navigate this, I recorded an episode with a student who went through my nursing school bootcamp. She was so impressive and inspirational because she went through her nursing program as the mother of four children and did it with such grace and clarity. Click here to listen to “Tips for Parents in Nursing School.” After you listen to this episode, you definitely won’t think you’re too old for nursing school!
• Gap between educational pursuits – If high school or your first college degree were years and years ago, you may feel like it’s going to be difficult learning how to be a student again. This may be especially noticeable if you’ve never navigated online classes or don’t feel especially confident in math and science courses. This is 100% a mindset issue and is, therefore, 100% within your control. When I was returning to school after a hiatus of more than ten years, I was definitely nervous about this. I had a huge fear of math and had never excelled in any of my science-based classes when I went to college for my first degree. But I knew that if I was going to become a nurse I would need to get past those self-limiting beliefs and open myself up to new possibilities. And I did. I ended up LOVING algebra and now I am so confident in my math skills that I developed a program to teach dosage calculations to nursing students. So, if you are telling yourself that you’ve been out of the game too long and that you won’t be able to adjust, I want you to shift how you talk to yourself and start believing in yourself instead.
• Unfamiliarity with using tech – Many older nursing students have a fear of technology simply because they haven’t had to use it much. Sure, we can all manage the basics like using an internet browser, sending and receiving emails, and paying our car registration. But if you haven’t had a particularly techie job, then you may feel a bit rusty. And that’s ok. My advice to students nervous about keeping up with all the tech for nursing school is to practice before classes start. Not sure what you need to know? Download my free guide, 20 Secrets of Successful Nursing Students, which comes with a bonus list of tech skills to master for nursing school (see below!). Take some time to brush up on these key tech skills, and you won’t be feeling like you’re too old for nursing school at all!
• The fast pace – This is definitely a legitimate concern, but guess what? Nursing school is fast-paced for everyone. I promise it’s not just you. However, as an older nursing student, you may have concerns about keeping up. My best advice to you is to remove as many distractions from your learning environment as possible and be extra diligent about recognizing and removing all time-wasters. For example, sit in the front row so you’re not distracted by your classmates. And to help alleviate time-wasters, consider using a program that blocks certain types of websites (such as shopping and social media sites) while you work on assignments.
• Feeling left out of younger peer groups – Honestly, as an older nursing student, having a big social circle is probably not going to be your main goal in nursing school. There’s simply not time and there are far more important things to do. Instead, focus on finding one or two students you connect with and forget about “fitting in” with the younger students. This doesn’t mean you can’t and won’t get along with them. In fact, as an older nursing student, you may find that the younger students look up to you and respect your contributions. As long as you all get along and all support one another, then I consider that a win!

Advantages of being an older nursing student

Now, that we’ve got all that out of the way, it’s time to shift our thinking because there are a TON of advantages of being an older nursing student. By the time you finish reading this list, you’re definitely going to be saying, “I’m definitely not too old for nursing school!”

Advantages related to your maturity and life experience as an older nursing student

• Maturity and professionalism. This translates into carrying yourself well and conveying a positive image in both the classroom and clinical. This goes a long way toward gaining the trust of the nurses you are working with in the hospital and, of course, your patients, too. A patient may be more likely to confide in an older student who they perceive to be more knowledgeable simply because they are older. Is this always true? Of course not. But let’s use every advantage we can get! Older students also generally tend to have a deeper understanding of the importance and gravity of what they are learning and take these responsibilities very, very seriously.
• Internally motivated to learn. Older nursing students are generally highly motivated to learn, which manifests as a natural curiosity and excitement about the subject matter. This translates to older nursing students wanting to know the “why” behind what they are learning, not wanting to learn it for the exam. What this leads to is better performance on exams and greater competence in the clinical setting. Go you!
• Life experience and confidence. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Life experience is just one of those things that’s helpful pretty much in any circumstance. If I knew at 21 what I knew at 41, I would have been a genius and definitely would have made some better and more productive life choices. With that said, having been around the block a few times helps you see the greater context of many circumstances you find yourself in. Plus, as an older nursing student, you tend to carry yourself with more confidence since you’re not as likely to encounter a situation you don’t have at least some experience dealing with in the past.
• Less likely to feel intimidated by others. Older nursing students definitely reported feeling less intimidated by others. Whether it’s a scary charge nurse in clinical, a demanding patient, a strict instructor, or a bullying classmate, they felt that age and experience were on their side in dealing with “intimidating” people you could encounter in nursing school.
• Require less hand-holding. Life experience, confidence, and prior job experience led to a lot of older nursing students stating they required less hand-holding than their younger classmates. This is good news because hand-holding is not generally something that happens in nursing school. Your instructors are going to provide you with the resources and information you need, and expect you to take ownership of it. For example, they’ll provide the assignment instructions and expect you to be able to read them and complete the assignment. Or, they’ll clearly outline class policies and expectations in the course syllabus and expect you to have read it and be held to that standard. If this sounds harsh, realize that you’re going to be held to a much higher standard when you’re working as a nurse, so you might as well get used to it now.

Advantages related to your communication and people skills

• Experience interacting with difficult people. Chances are your time on this earth has provided you with many opportunities to interact with challenging people. Whether this is through a prior job that had you dealing with the public or you’ve navigated the complexities of your neighborhood HOA or school’s PTA, you’ve definitely got more experience with this than you did when you were fresh out of high school. I’ve seen this time and time again with older nursing students and it is definitely a huge advantage!
• Communication skills. A very important part of your job as a nurse (or nursing student) is clear and effective communication. You’ll use this skill when asking for clarification on a confusing assignment, delegating in the simulation lab or clinical, accepting feedback from an instructor, giving report in clinical, or communicating with patients in a meaningful and therapeutic way. In general, older nursing students are used to speaking up. Not only does this make you a great advocate for yourself, it also helps you advocate for your patients, too!

Advantages related to some special skills you have as an older nursing student

• Skills acquired from prior jobs or career. Did you know that you probably have skills from a prior job that translate beautifully into nursing? This could be any job that required you to problem solve, juggle multiple priorities, delegate to others, assess or troubleshoot, address customer service issues, evaluate research, analyze data, take ownership of a project, communicate important data to team members, or use psychomotor skills.
• Problem-solving ability and resourcefulness. And lastly, older nursing students stated the ability to be resourceful and solve problems were huge advantages in nursing school. In fact, resourcefulness is one of the greatest traits you can have as a nursing student (and nurse!). After all, as nurses, our main job is to spot problems and fix them. If you’re not afraid to tackle a problem or jump in and seek a solution, you’re going to make a wonderful nursing student and a wonderful nurse! This episode dives into resourcefulness and how it’s truly one of your nursing school super powers.

And there’s one more you might not believe!

• Having a family. Believe it or not, one of the disadvantages was actually an advantage for some! Many students stated they felt having a family meant having a built-in support system. Plus, for some students, having a family that’s relying on them was highly motivating and kept them focused when things got tough.

Want to be prepared for nursing school?

You’ve read this far because you are actively looking for resources to help you navigate this next, exciting chapter in your life. And what I’ve found through my many years of mentoring nursing students is that students who plan to thrive in nursing school do far better than those who don’t. And that’s why I created Crucial Concepts Bootcamp, my nursing school prep course. Learn more about Bootcamp here and see why students call it game-changing, a must-have, and the best decision they made before starting nursing school!

Last Updated on November 14, 2024 by Maureen Osuna, MSN, RN