Am I being unreasonable in considering doing a nursing degree at 50 years old?

[StridTheKiller]

Is 50 too old to do a nursing degree? Would I be ridiculous?

It's not too late at all and the NHS are desperate for nurses! Go for it, I say!

I'd have found it utterly exhausting to be a nurse at that age but we're all different, I suppose.

Yes, I'm considering the energy thing, but enthusiasm may power me through?
Would I be accepted on a 2 year post grad course at that age though?

I was early 40s and it was fine. In fact with no family commitments it might even be easier for you in many ways. Yes the training is tough but your extra life experience will help a lot and you won’t be as overwhelmed by stuff that younger people are. Once you’re qualified you can work as much or as little as you please and it doesn’t have to be hard physical work as there are many nursing opportunities out there.
Good luck.

Have you got an honours degree in a related subject? That’s usually needed for the 2 year programme

I have a friend who did exactly this. In all honesty although loving the challenge she has found it quite exhausting. She has also struggled with the shift patterns especially coming from a corporate background . Her DH is at the end of his career so only part time with a regular 9-5 job so she is finding she is missing events and even a holiday recently which is causing a bit of resentment of the job.
Despite this she has no regrets but in saying that she is already planning her exit plan!

Do it! Life is too short to not follow your dreams.

what is your degree? I’ve supported many mature students doing a nursing degree, including the accelerated course. In Scotland you can do a masters in nursing with NMC registration over 2 years if you’re first degree is health/social care related.

The biggest difference with the accelerated program is that you still have to fit in a minimum of 2300 hours of theory AND practice so minimum 4600 in total over 2 years as opposed to three. So it is extremely demanding as there is very little down time. Bear in mind as well that you may have to work to support yourself financially- doing that on the 2 year program is going to be so so tough.

But just being 50 is in itself not an issue. I supported a student once who was in his mid 50s - he had retired from the fire brigade after about 30 odd years and his wife was a nurse. He was one of the best/dedicated/resilient students I’ve ever had and the clinical staff loved him as he brought so much to the student nurse role.

Good luck if you do go for it.

Why not if you think you will be able to manage the workload and shifts etc. You could have 20 years of working left and that's a long time

I only did 18 months nurse training in my late 20s and I stopped mainly because (and I know this is hard to believe) but there was a huge job shortage at the time post qualification. People I know were qualifying and going to work in nursing homes- which I didn't want to do. All I will say is I loved it- hardest physical work job I've ever had (this was late 80s) but satisfying and it could be both fun and very sad- I've never regretted having that time as my general knowledge on health stuff is high- which helped with a family and personal health etc

Nursing applications have plummeted so while this may vary from institution to institution I’d say the odds are in your favour as long as you meet the entry requirements.