At 71, This Retired Grandma Is Becoming a Nurse — A Second Career and Lifelong Dream

Ceiil on her first day of nursing school. Image: Ceil Hovey

At 71 years of age, most of us would be slowing down, enjoying retirement, or at the very least, picking up a relaxing hobby. But most of us are not Ceil Hovey.

Ceil–who will be 72 years young in September—recently enrolled in Wallace Community College's nursing program in Alabama. If all goes according to plan, Ceil will graduate with her associate's degree in nursing in August of 2027, shortly before her 73rd birthday. 

And if that wasn't enough of a story for you, here's the real kicker: this isn't the first time she will be celebrating graduation from the college. Next August will mark 40 years exactly since she originally graduated from Wallace as a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT). After a successful 40-year healthcare career as an RRT, Ceil is back in school, this time to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse.

"I just feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing," she says simply.

A Lifelong Dream

Image: Ceil Hovey

Ceil tells Nurse.org that, despite her long career as an RRT, being a nurse has always been her dream. She explains that a boating accident in her small town that resulted in a small child tragically losing her life deeply affected her and first inspired her to want to become a nurse.

"The child did not make it, and I questioned whether or not, had they been able to retrieve the child, would they have been able to revive the child?" she remembers. "It had a big effect on me."

Ceil was actually accepted into nursing school in Columbus, Georgia, as a young woman, but didn't think her parents could afford to pay for the program, so she decided to go to work instead. She started as a respiratory therapy tech at a small hospital that offered on-the-job training and eventually worked her way up to become a Registered RT in 1987. 

"Life led me to respiratory therapy," Ceil notes. 

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While Ceil says she enjoyed her career as an RT, especially because she sees herself as a natural caregiver who loves helping and caring for others, she never forgot her original dream of becoming a nurse. She says she is most drawn to nursing by the thought of being able to serve those in need. 

Making Her Dream Happen

After officially retiring in August 2024 from her job as an RRT and moving back home to Louisville from Colorado, Ceil tells Nurse.org that she had the realization that she really didn’t like “just sitting at home." 

"I needed to be doing something," she explains.

At the age of 71, the mother of two, grandmother to four, and great-grandma to one, Ceil certainly had options for what "doing something" could look like, but she decided that the right next step for her, naturally, was nursing school. She learned that community colleges in her state will pay the tuition for students over a certain age, which put the wheels in motion. 

Image: Ceil Hovey

"I thought, 'Why not?'" Ceil says. "I don't have anything holding me down. So I decided to apply to nursing school.”

Ceil was accepted to nursing school, and while she is enjoying the experience, she admits there have been some unexpected twists and turns along the way. 

"It's been more challenging than I expected," she admits.

From the noveliteis of online coursework to the physical demands of clinicals ("sometimes I feel like I physically hold them back," she says) to finding time to study, everything has been a new learning curve. 

Still, Ceil has been up for the challenge. And she certainly doesn't mind being the oldest student in her class (or maybe all of the nursing school's history).

Support Along the Way

Ceil is, admittedly, someone who loves to care for others, but her own time as a nursing student has shown her that she deserves to be cared for, too.

She credits her spouse of 40 years, Bill, for "taking care of everything else" so she can focus on her studies. Ceil follows a pretty rigorous schedule of going to school, then coming home and studying all the way until bedtime. 

Image: Ceil Hovey

Her fellow students are also always willing to lend a helping hand, from jumping in when she hits the wrong button to record lectures in class to helping her carry her books and bags.

"They're precious," Ceil says.

She has embraced technology that can help her as an advanced student, using Notability to record and transcribe notes and nursing apps to help her study. 

 

The biggest challenge for Ceil, apart from being one of the few students at her age to enroll in nursing school, is perhaps adjusting to a life of being an 'A' student. 

“I like A's," Ceil admits. "But I've been told I need to be satisfied. My average right now is 79.89, which is .11 from a B, so I am trying to get it up.”

Ready for a New Role

Image: Ceil Hovey

Whether or not she achieves the All-A roster she is hoping for, Ceil is looking forward to graduation and says she hopes to land a job working in the ED or NICU. 

And there will be no soft nursing for this new graduate—she intends to work full-time and shares that she is already considering working towards her Bachelor's of Nursing online after she graduates. 

"If I can make it through this, then there's no telling where I wind up," Ceil laughs. "I might be a doctor one day.” 

Ceil says that night shift nursing is firmly off the table, but that aside, she isn't nervous at all about hitting the ground running as a nurse.

For Ceil, her Christian faith is both a ground and a driving force, and she sees her foray into nursing school as just following another call in her life. She is adamant about encouraging anyone who is considering entering the nursing field to pursue their dreams. 

“Some people have said I'm an inspiration to them," Ceil says. "I don't know if I am or not. I hope I can have a positive effect on them, but I know they've had an effect on me, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.”

🤔 Nurses, what do you think of Ceil? Any words of encouragement for her as she finishes her program? Share your thoughts in the comments!