To contemplate retraining as a nurse at 45

[MrsRLH75]

It’s funny (sort of), whenever you speak to people in a professional role - like teacher, lawyer, nurse etc - they nearly always dissuade people from entering that profession. I’m no different - I’m a lawyer (by accident and still here 20 years later) but have said for years I’d love to be a nurse. I also recoil (discreetly) if my kids mention going into law but I guess with all us professionals we just see too much of the downside of the job. The thought of no income for 3-4 years scares me but the idea of retraining and then becoming a nurse makes me feel more excited than literally anything else I think about! Am I mad?

I’ll be honest, you are a bit mad. The fantasy is very far from the reality. Have you got any care experience or experience of the industry at all? If not, I’d strongly advise doing a bit of volunteering of an HCA role first.

You don’t necessarily have to be without an income for the duration of your training, you can work on the hospital bank as an HCA until you qualify. The pay won’t replace your lawyer’s salary but it will top you up and help reinforce your essential nursing skills.

That said, there are loads of newly qualified nurses in their mid 40’s and 50’s, so that aspect is absolutely not unusual.

Are you ok on your feet all day? Sorry to get personal, but if you’ve not hit menopause yet that might be a lot to contend with alongside training/working as a nurse.

A LOT of women retrain as nurses later- but it’s hard bloody graft and a lot to juggle. I second the suggestions that you do shifts as an HCA first, if you can get them.

Thank you both for your honesty, I appreciate it. I want to make any decision with my eyes wide open and no I have no experience in the sector so may look into some volunteering.

Honestly I think it’s a very physical job and a lot of nurses retire in their 50s and do something else that’s less demanding.

I've just retrained as a nurse and am about to qualify. I'm 30s so younger but one of the youngest in my cohort. I had no health care experience at all, just a naive sense of calling. I am SO glad I did it. Its been hard work and a few tears but I would do it again. Will be starting as a staff nurse in nicu in September and I cannot wait. Which branch of nursing are you interested in?

Omg @PeachScone that’s amazing to hear and congratulations! I’d love to go into pediatric nursing!

Can you cope with (what I assume will be) a big wage difference? Starting pay is 24k, maybe a bit more if you go into a GP job or you're in London.

Its a physical job too. I was 25 when I retrained and I remember how much my feet hurt after my 1st shift as a student. I do think you're a bit bonkers, but I also believe if you have a real 'calling' to do it then you should go for it.

@MrsRLH75

Omg *@PeachScone* that’s amazing to hear and congratulations! I’d love to go into pediatric nursing!

You'd need to do a childrens nursing course rather than an adult one. They are different. Im not sure if you know already, just trying to help!

Honestly, I'd say think carefully. It is a very physical job. If you are very fit and healthy maybe consider it. If you are prone to aching feet or a bad back forget it.

I think you'd be a bit unhinged tbh. No way would I do it, never mind the retraining, add in the shifts no way.

Night shifts
12 hour days
Working weekends, bank holidays
And uni work on top
And that's before qualifying
I wouldn't
I did it as a young woman with no commitments
It was tough

@MrsRLH75

Omg *@PeachScone* that’s amazing to hear and congratulations! I’d love to go into pediatric nursing!

I have trained as a paeds nurse. It's a very different world to adult nursing. It is really tricky being a new student nurse when you're a career changer, as suddenly you know nothing and feel a bit helpless, but you learn so much over the course and then in your career. I can't tell you you'll love it as some don't, a few from my cohort dropped out (though far fewer than in the adult cohort)! Let me know if you have any questions about the training and I'll try to help out.

My DD is a paediatric nurse, and her OH started retraining as a paediatric nurse when he was 45. He was worried no one would offer him a job when he qualified, because of his age, but when he went to an NHS Job Fair everyone was saying "Please, come and work for us!"
He loves the job but he does find night shifts very tiring and gets very grumpy then.

Yeah a load dropped out of my adult nursing course I seem to remember. Hats off to all the peads nurses though, its 100% a job I couldnt do! I worked in ED for a few years and quite often adult nurses would go over to the peads side to help out if needed. I hated almost any intervention in case it upset the kids. Im a sap.....

By this stage, and I am your age too, I think we should all do whatever makes us happy, as long as we can pay our bills.

On a practical note, if it all soured, dual nursing and law qualifications would get you some interesting gigs.

@RickiTarr

By this stage, and I am your age too, I think we should all do whatever makes us happy, as long as we can pay our bills.

On a practical note, if it all soured, dual nursing and law qualifications would get you some interesting gigs.

Oooh yeah - you'd be a great med neg lawyer!

From a career point of view. The burn-out rate is high. There are areas and specialities where you can reduce your risk but obviously you will have to do a bit of time at the coal-face first. Pay and progression is shite (despite what some will tell you). You will need to commit to lifelong learning and be on top of your CPD at all times. You may be used to this in your current role. You may find that your employer isn’t very supportive of your CPD requirements due to staffing and/or funding issues, development opportunities have dropped through the floor. You also need to re-register with the NMC every 3 years via an online portfolio of evidence. For anything above a band 5 you are likely to need an MSc in a specialist subject. If you are lucky, your employer may sponsor this. It used to be that b6 nurses could get ahead on their experience on track record but it is more and more about MSc as well as experience, as nursing is more evidence-based these days. So the level of professional education, skills and experience required to progress are considerable. It’s interesting that male nurses seem to progress more quickly up the career the ladder than females, there are a lot less of them but they hold a disproportionately large % of leadership roles, make of that what you will.

I realise that you are thinking heart over head but the career aspects of nursing shouldn’t be ignored. The idea that nurses are in it for the ‘warm and fuzzies’ holds us back from being regarded as the well educated, highly skilled professionals we are and being offered the opportunities and remuneration that reflects that.

Go in eyes open.

Nurse here - honestly, I think you would be mad. It's hard, physical work - nights, weekends for the duration of your training. Surely you would be taking a huge pay cut? I have just got a band 6 job at 31k, starting wages are a lot lower.

Having said that, started my training at 29 and I was by no means the oldest on my course. I suppose if you feel a real calling then go for it but as others have said, get some experience and make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for!

Oooh yeah - you'd be a great med neg lawyer!

I was thinking more of PIP tribunals and obscure boards, but maybe.

Or on the medical ethics lecturing/academia side of things, @RickiTarr

Yes, mad.

It's an incredibly physical job and hugely disruptive to family life. You are not in any way adequately remunerated for staying up all night, missing birthdays, Christmas, weddings, christenings not being able to have 2 days off together, not being able to take holidays when you want to.. There is no compatible childcare so you have to have family and friends who will support your need to be absent at the most difficult bits of the day/week.

There are ways of getting more social hours and more money later down the line (Health visiting, School Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialists, lecturing etc, but not without doing a good few years training first.

Add to all that the political mess, the brexit mess, the impact of the pandemic, the underfunding, the fact that your training will mostly be placements on wards where there's no one free to support and help you as they're too busy/stressed/crying in the sluice. And the lack of respect socially too.

I'm not always sorry I did it. But no way would I do it now in my 40s..The impact on DC would be enormous - no clubs or hobbies, missing parties and not having friends over etc. I am not physically capable of runs of night shifts when no one let's me sleep during the day. 13 hours on your feet with no break for hours , no drinks for hours, wearing a mask the whole time. And the financial side is obviously very fragile.

@TwinsTrollsAndHunz

Or on the medical ethics lecturing/academia side of things, *@RickiTarr*

Or that.

Don’t worry @MrsRLH75 - We have all your fallback plans covered.

I trained at 37 - did it with small children and a husband working away - I am a Sister in ICU and do the whole shebang, nights, weekends, long days.
Its tiring, but I love it and wouldn't do any other job. I don't think I am badly paid for what I do and I work with a great, supportive team.
If its what you want to do, go for it.

Re experience, I had none! Not even done a shift as a HCA!

NB Adults and Paeds nursing is very different - much smaller intake for paeds so the demand for places is much tougher.