I turned forty the month I graduated from nursing school. It is a different experience going to college at a later point in life than in your twenties, however, it is never too late to learn something new. Many people decide to go back to school at a later point in life to finish up a Masters Degree or to change careers. If you are looking to start a second career, nursing offers good employment, many different schedules and a chance to help people at the same time.

Nursing is a well respected profession. You will be working with people and their families and helping them deal with and recover from accidents and illnesses. You will be critically appraising the situation and solving problems independently and with the doctors.

Classes needed to become a nurse include biology, chemistry, general education as well as the nursing process. These classes will help you understand the workings of the human body, disease process and your future patients. You will also participate in clinicals, basically working in a hospital supervised by a nurse instructor.

There are a lot of nursing programs. Some are Associate Degree programs and others are at the Bachelor level. It is important to research the program that fits your needs. Things to consider as an older nursing student:

* The length of the program

* How many students that enroll pass and complete the program

* How many students pass the boards and receive their license

* Does the school offer daycare

* The cost of the nursing program -- they vary wildly

There are a lot of nursing scholarships available. You can also apply for federal financial aid, loans and grants from the government. I was able to to get a local hospital to pay $4000 toward the cost of nursing school by agreeing to work for them upon graduation for a certain amount of time depending on the amount of money I received. Checking with the human resources department at local hospitals may be the way to secure money for nursing school. Also, there are often programs set up through the city where you are able to receive some assistance while going through school. These programs have a wide range of help available from full tuition, books, uniforms and even help with living expenses. You may want to work part time while attending school, but you may have to make a hard decision along the way about which is more important: finishing school or keeping your job.

Upon successfully completing nursing school your will have to sit and pass the NCLEX, a licensing exam, before you can work as a nurse. Warning: check with the college and your state board of nursing to make sure you can be a nurse. If you have a criminal record you may, not necessarily, be unable to receive a nursing license, but it is a could idea to confirm with state board before you spend a lot of money and time on a nursing program.

A lot of people decide to change their career to nursing because of the money you can make. There is nothing wrong with this, but you need to understand two things. First, nursing is hard work and you will be earning every penny. Second, you must provide excellent care regardless of your motivation. You will be taking care of people's sons and daughters, wives and husbands. To succeed, you must be willing to put the patient's needs first because you are in a health care profession where carelessness or laziness could mean the difference between life and death.

One of the great advantages of becoming a nurse is that full time is often three days a week. Those are three twelve hour shifts which permits you to have a four day weekend. This allows you the opportunity to spend more time with your children and grandchildren, travel or even pick up extra work at your own hospital or through an agency that sends nurses to many different areas.

Whether you become a nurse is entirely up to you. If you are unhappy with your current situation, just need a change or you feel like a challenge, nursing may be right for you. Changing careers later in life is always difficult, but it is more desirable than unemployment or a dead-end job you hate. If you really want to become a nurse, you will be able to overcome the challenges.