A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Hoping to start nursing in 2015 at 35 - MTforyears

Posted: Nov 20, 2014

Hoping to start a nursing program. I am 35 and have been a medical transcriptionist since graduating from high school. I would like to eventually obtain a Master's in nursing. I have been planning this for a while (almost two years), but I've been really nervous, so I have kind of put things off. I think one thing I'm nervous about is it is my first time going to college. I was trained for medical transcription at a technical school while still in high school. I am also nervous about being one of the older students. I just know I can't let these things get in my way though and have to start working toward my goals now. I'd like to hear from other MTs who have gone back to school. Thanks in advance! :)

you will be pleasantly surprised - StillAnMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Congratulations! From my own experience, I went to college for the first time in my 30s (for MT). There were lots of us in that age group. The women who dropped out did so because of conflicts with boyfriends... Lots of people are changing careers at your age.. so enjoy it!

I Have Not - But...

[ In Reply To ..]
My sister was never MT, but she took the nursing plunge in her early 40s after being a bank teller most of her working career. She took an accelerated course, and I think it took a little over 2 years. After several years, the hospital work was too much on her physically, so she got herself into home assessments and she loves it. No more grueling work hours, easier on the body, etc.

Go for it. There are ALWAYS jobs for nurses, even if you just go for your LPN or even VN. Maybe you're setting your sights too high for now and it's scaring you. Think shorter goals for now. One small goal at a time. And decide from there after each goal how you want to proceed.

Good luck and kudos to you for getting out of MT while you're still relatively young! Don't feel intimidated by the youngsters. You are there for you and your goals, not for an age contest or social event.

nursing - puto

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You could start by taking just 1 class to see how you like it. 35 is young. Probably lots of jobs in nursing and good pay. Good luck!

I'm happy for you! - sm

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You will be a wonderful nurse!

Suggestion - Been There Myself

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If you have not spoken with the school yet, you should do that immediately. I think they can explain some things and relieve many of your fears, as well as suggest a way to get started right away with just an easy class or two.

I mentor folks at work who want to go to college or go back to college, so I see people like you all the time. I'll tell you what seems to help them. Keep in mind that I only have what you said in your post to go by.

You have some beliefs about college that aren't quite true. They are holding you back, so let's correct them. They are partly the product of your high school and partly the product of your community, so they are not your own doing.

If your high school, community, and family expectations shunted you through a vo-tech program in MT rather than a college prep program, what you might have learned from that was that you aren't college material. In other words, you learned that college was for other kids, not you, and for rich kids, not you, or for some other people, but not you. Other people needed it, but not you. Perhaps other families needed it, but not yours. I have even seen schools and families where boys needed it, but not girls. Whatever the reason, that set up a belief in your mind that college was something you could not do or that it was just better if you didn't do it.

In addition to that, you might not know a lot about what college is like. You definitely don't know what classes are like. (If you did, you would not fear them or worry about your age.) You definitely don't know what life is like at the type of college you want to attend. (If you did, you would not be concerned about your age.)

Some colleges have mostly students who came straight from high school, who live in dorms, who party on the weekends, etc. However, not all colleges are like that. The college YOU will attend is not that kind of college ... it is more likely to be a college for older students. There may be little social life at the college, so your age does not matter in that respect. You aren't going to feel out of place at all.

You should google "average age of nursing students." See the link below. Nursing students tend to be older. In their 30's, from what I see. (Health Information Administration students are in the 40's.) In those fields, maturity and stability are a good thing.

There is a widespread belief that learning is for the young. You know, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, your brain cells die off and are never replaced, etc. Well, you aren't a dog and your brain is actually capable of remodeling itself. Your age is not going to hamper your studies. Your life experiences will even help.

One area where you have an advantage is with software, reading comprehension, and writing ability. You are good at that because you are an MT. Most students in your classes will struggle with that. They will have trouble understanding what they read, with notes, with writing assignments, with style guide requirements, etc. You won't, so those things won't hold you back.

You will benefit from help with study habits and techniques. You will need to take math and science, which might seem scary. I highly recommend "A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel ..." by Barbara Oakley. You can find it on Amazon. It is not expensive. It will show you some excellent techniques and explain current learning theories, which are not what most teachers believe. They are too new. This will really help you succeed easily. Take the free course, Learning How to Learn, at www.coursera.org/course/learning. Another session starts in early February. You don't have to turn in any work if you prefer.

Your college probably offers tutoring and has courses on how to succeed in college. Some require a study skills class. You won't be alone in this.

Thank you so much for all of the positive replies! :) - MTforyears

[ In Reply To ..]
Thank you everyone for your kind words and awesome advice! :)

Thank you Been There Myself for all of the suggestions. I will definitely check them out.

I will give you some background information about what lead me to transcription. Sorry it's so lengthy! :) I feel you were right on about how I developed my views about college.

I grew up in a small town, and I went to a small, Catholic elementary school. I loved it and did great there. I had awesome grades from 7th-9th grade. Then at some point in 9th grade, I started getting bullied to the point where I no longer wanted to attend school. I went to a technical school for half of the day, and that part was easier for me, mainly because there was no bullying, so that is where I learned medical transcription. I would then skip most of my regular high school classes. I would chose when and which classes to attend. I was in advanced Science and Math for eighth, ninth and tenth grade. Then for some reason my guidance counselor cut out my Math and Science classes at school because I would be meeting the requirements through my technical school (I was originally in an LPN class there, but I left it and went into the medical office side of things.). I was top achiever in the LPN class, and my teachers wanted me to stay. I guess I just thought nursing wasn't for me at the time. I was only 17, and I was intimidated by the clinical time in the nursing home. I love elderly people, but I just felt like I couldn't do it. I look back at it now, and I think of how I would love to work with the elderly, and I feel nursing could fulfill what I need in a career. I'm not sure about other MTs, but for quite a while, I have felt down about being a medical transcriptionist. It's sometimes hard to feel, especially from home, like our work is making a difference. I know it is, but I just don't get the satisfaction I would like from it. I want to feel like I'm helping people.

I also decided against college because I thought it would be too similar to high school where I was picked on constantly for getting good grades, because I wasn't an athlete or one of the "cool kids." I also thought I was set in medical transcription. When I started in the hospitals, it was a great paying job with awesome benefits.

I am hoping medical transcription experience will come in handy for the nursing classes. Now that I have a family, I am really tired of struggling, and I hope the nursing classes will be a step in the right direction.

Thanks so much again for all of the positive feedback and words of advice! I am so excited about this new beginning! :) Thanks also for the laugh about the age contest...lol...My Mom is in her 50s and starting a new career, and she is always worried. My fiance said there is no need to worry at any age as people of all ages work, some even in their 70s.

Thanks again. I'll close because I'm writing a book here :) Best wishes for all of you! :)

You Sound Awesome - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
I am the poster who said it's not an age contest.

I won't go into the long version of my story here, but I was kind of the opposite of you---I was not good in school at all, so I was pretty much told by my folks (who put my other 3 siblings through college) that I wasn't "college material." Not one to "crack the books." What they didn't get was that I didn't like the classes I had to take in school. I totally found my niche in MT (until it went bad).

Anyway, my point is that ideas get formed in our mind, whether we realize it or not. I think for you with the bullying it has put a bad reaction in your brain to school. I've never gone to college, but things are different there. First, people are more mature than they were in earlier education; and second, a good deal of them are there because they WANT to be, not because they HAVE to be.

In nursing, you'll be with like students (younger or older) and you all have the same goal.

Best to you!

You will be happy to hear.. - Been There Myself

[ In Reply To ..]
You will be happy to hear that college is nothing like high school. The clique thing doesn't exist. Classes are different. You are on your own. Much of it is online. There is no opportunity for bullying.

Reading between the lines of your story, it seems that you are probably very intelligent. If you have difficulty with grades, it will be surprising, but if you do, it will be because you might not know how to study. You might not have had to do much of it before. College goes at a faster pace, requiring more of your own effort, more scheduling, more organizing.

If you become disillusioned with nursing, keep health information administration and informatics in mind. You can help people in both fields, but HIA-informatics is less hands-on. The basic courses are the same as nursing, so it would be an easy transition. Not trying to get you to change your mind, but just suggesting a possible future path if you need it.

There are also nurse informaticists. We have several of them at my facility. It pays well, so don't pass up electives in things like computers, EHRs, and statistics/data analysis. Those will help you with your MSN.

I would pay you to answer my questions! - Deb

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!

Agree nm - magnet-repellent

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.

You would??? Questions on what??? - Been There Myself

[ In Reply To ..]
Are you replying to ME? People usually attack my posts ...

Yes, I was replying to you. What a great post! - Deb

[ In Reply To ..]
were so generous with your information and suggestions. Is that what you're paid to do at work?

I come from a similar familial environment as the person you responded to and it sort of "stuck." It's difficult to get "unstuck", especially in this economy.

Suggestion for you - Been There Myself

[ In Reply To ..]
My employer puts a lot of stock in mentoring and hopes that anyone who can do it will. They provide training for it and, yes, since it is part of my job I do get paid to do it. That doesn't mean I get out of doing anything else, though, lol.

You're right ... getting unstuck is very difficult. It is difficult to overcome beliefs about yourself that were and are put on you by others. You only know what your experience has taught you, after all. To know anything else or to believe that something else is available to you, you have to experience it.

It is also difficult to make the jump from one situation to another if you don't have a road map.

However, the *economy* is much less of a hindrance than you think. Especially today.

Please go to www.saylor.org and explore their website. Everything they offer is free. The only cost to you is your time. As busy as you are, I am confident that you can make 30 minutes a day. I am confident that anything you do on that site will help you in some way and that it will be a stepping-stone to a better life. Even if it is just a more confident life. You can, in fact, start college there. Or get a college education even if you do not get a degree. You can learn skills for a new job.

Please do that and come back to share what you think.

You're a gem. Thanks. - Deb

[ In Reply To ..]
.

nursing at 35 - nn

[ In Reply To ..]
Trust me, you won't be one of the "older" students. I went to college in my 50s and saw people older than me!

I say go for it!!!

Former MT...Future Nurse - JustDoIt

[ In Reply To ..]
I am 45 and started nursing prerequisite courses 1-1/2 years ago and will apply to a nursing program in the spring. For my most recent course, the age range was from 22 years old to around 50 years old.

If you are nervous about being in class, you could check into courses offered online through a community college. The community college I attend offers online classes that include an on-campus lab component. Coursework is done online and a few weekend days are scheduled to complete the lab component. These courses are geared towards working adults who are unable to attend courses during the work week.

Getting into nursing school is competitive. If a professor grades on a curve, then you should know going into it that people can be cutthroat for any advantage. My suggestion would be to view your classmates as competitors who can impede your ability to get accepted into nursing school. In other words, don't be too helpful to your classmates.

As an MT, you have an advantage of not being overwhelmed with medical terminology, and many people struggle with medical terminology.

You will do just fine no matter what your age.

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