Is 62 to old to go to nursing school?

I am asking this question for my Mother-in-law, who I love dearly and am very close to.

She only has a high school degree, but she is pretty smart. Her husband left her a couple years ago and she works 50 hours a week at a factory just to make ends meet. I am wondering if it would be a good idea for her to live with us and go to nursing school for a year. Even a nurse straight out of college makes more than she does now.

Is it a good idea for her to go back to school at her age?
Would anyone hire her at 63 without any previous nursing experience?

Thanks for the help.

She would go through a one year nursing program to be an LVN.

How can she be hired at 63? Nursing school is 4 years long so she would be 66. And there is a high demand for nurses, so she should not have any trouble finding work.

I say go for it!
When I went to nursing school, I met a lady who was 66 yrs old and lived with her abusive husband for 50 yrs. He died and left her a bunch of money. She graduated with me as an AAS in Nursing from our local Jounior college. Last time I heard from her she was nursing in a doctors office.

I also call a local clinic here, and a lady who works for one of our docs locally as an RN is 82 yrs old. They had a big party for her on her 80'th. I asked the doc when he was going to retire, and he said when she did. HAHA!!!!
I think its a great idea for her to go to school. Please dont discourage her.

Without wanting to discourage ANYONE who wants to better themselves at ANY age, I would have your mother-in-law really think hard about this. Nursing can be back-breakingingly hard and a new nurse always has to work the least desirable shifts. Further, she may have to take some pre-reqs as well so she may not finish school until she is 65; and to be very brutally honest, she very well may find it extremely hard to get an entry LVN position (look at all the young posters on this site that can't get LVN/LPN jobs!). I am sure people will frown on this answer, but reality sometimes is just not pretty. And while there are people who do manage to do this, it is not the majority. But, perhaps she can go to school to become something else? There are so many careers out there. Even Medical assisting (which has no pre-regs and a short study course) might be for here--front office work needs well-organized responsible adults and back office is far less grueling than LPN. Also, since you can work for a single doc, you would have a better chance of selling (yourself) at an older age than trying to just fill in a form at a hospital.
I do encourage her to look around and do some research--and possible meet with a counselor at the local community college as well. They should have their ear on what is happening in your area. Very good luck.

First of all, this is in individual choice. She'll either want to try or won't, regardless of what we say.

That said, I like to think that anything's possible, and that life is too short to not take risks.

However, some valid points were made above. Although LVN/LPN programs generally are more practical than theory based, you still usually must have some basic chemistry, math, biology, and English credits. Her high school degree from back in the day may not have the required courses.

That is something to consider.

Another factor is health. Is she physically fit, in shape, and generally healthy? Is she physically able to do such a strenuous job? For how long? Nursing schools will often assess your overall physical capability to do the job.

Lastly, how long does she plan to work? Will she retire at 65 ? 70? If she needs to upgrade, the years spent in education may not be worth it. If she can gain direct entry to a 1 year program, then I think it's worth a shot. She has nothing to lose when she's slaving 50 hours in a factory and scraping by.

This lady does deserve a better life, I agree. As long as she is willing to understand that she may be starting out with many people 1/3 of her age, and that her bosses will likely be half her age, then I say go for it. For some, if not good natured, it can be depressing and a hit to one's self-esteem.

Also, she has to WANT to be a nurse. Those who just choose nursing as a "job" usually end up very unhappy.

To answer your question, yes, I think she will be able to get hired as long as she can display that she is physically able to do the job. A new nurse is a new nurse, be it at age 22 or 62. She'll start out on the bottom, but I can't see why she wouldn't be hired as long as she's a graduated nurse.

She might want to try working for a nursing agency or nursing home. In general, long-term care is less "stressful" than acute care (I.e. working in the ER or ICU).

If she wants to do this, she will likely need all of your support. I can assure you that it likely will not be easy. But I think it will leave her very satisfied when she completes her program.

Good luck!