Hi, My name is Christy and I'm from In. I'm 30 and want to be a RN. I dont know where to start and would like some advice. I'm also very nervous about going back to school. I feel if I know what I'm getting into it'll ease my mind. Any advice?

Some schools require you to have your CNA cert's first,also have to have BLS-CPR&AED cert's...you will have to be up to date on all immunizations..Hep a&b,tetnus,and tb.are the main ones............good luck..

I am 32 and I am almost finished with my RN program.  And believe me I am not the oldest.  In fact in my last class I was 2nd to the youngest.  Age does not matter.  I enjoyed my last clinical because I had so much more in common with students my age and older than I ever do with the 18 and 19 year olds.

Thank you all for your advice.  I'm more at ease now with the whole age thing , knowing I'm not really gonna stand out.. I've looked into a few schools and am supposed to visit  a few. I got the ball rolling and hope I can keep it going. Im real excited about it. Thanks again.

hi tsa-momma. first: ask yourself why you want this and how badly you want this and if you can justify this question for yourself, i believe you can be able ot finish and become a nurse even with all the difficulties that comes with it. good luck!

Don't worry about your age. When I was in nursing school 30 years ago, there were 4-5 ladies 40 or over in my group. I was 21 and the majority of the rest were 17-20. Believe me, the older ladies were the most diligent students in the group. They had been nurse aides, and LPN's and were paying their own way. They were determined to get through it and worked harder than any of the rest of us. Age is not the determining factor of success. I'm still considering returning to school part time. This time for something different, womens studies, Appalachian studies or even chef.    A few years ago I took an elective class and many of the students in the class were from my daughter's high school graduating class. At first it felt funny, but as it went on I realized I had an important part to play in the class. When we talked about the VietNam war, I could relay my memories of it on TV every night at supper. They had barely even heard of it. SO, keep up the good work. We old nurses need replacements sooner or later. Someone needs to take care of US!

Hey all,

Its a nice and educative thread... thanks for posting.

I did not take any classes and passed the entrance exam with no problem.  I really don't think it's necessary unless you really are POOR in your math skills. Maybe you can review basic algebra with someone who is a math wiz. LOL

-Samantha

TSA

As far as taking a english or math class before the exam.  I never did but I had strong math and english skills.  I think it depends on how comfortable you are with your ability in those subjects.  There is definetly alot of math in nursing school.  The reason for the test is to see where you are at in these subjects.  If you are at a point in which they can just jump in and start showing you more then you pass.  If you are missing a piece of the puzzle then you would fail. Seriously you need to evaluate your own skills and decide.  Regardless if you think  you are strong in these subjects and end up failing the test then just take a class and then retest.

Thanks for the advice!