Hi
@Dannyboy -- I realize this thread is probably getting a little "long-in-the-tooth", but as a 59 year-old who will be 60 in a few short months with a story somewhat similar to yours -- feel free to check out this emtlife thread from a few years ago for a little background:
What Drives you? -- I felt like I should also shout-out some encouragement. Honestly, as you'll see from that link/thread, I too was encouraged by
@DrParasite , and I took his advice to heart and became an EMT. I love this field....it wasn't the one I chose 40 years ago, but it's the one that resonates with me now.
So in my mid 50's I entered EMT "night" school, and after a couple of years as a volunteer FF-EMT with several hundred medical calls under my belt, I decided that the expanded scope of an AEMT could help some of my patients in my very rural community. I found a local class that fit my schedule (I have a non-EMS day job) and I used most of annual leave time to do my hospital and ambulance shifts for the AEMT program. I passed Registry about 2 weeks ago, and I'm working with our Medical Director to write some AEMT-level standing orders which will allow me to leverage my new scope.
I think you'll be fine in EMT school -- but I will say that for me (and my wife, who took it with me and who is a few years older than me), we did not find it to be a "walk in the park". Both of us have advanced degrees (mine is a Masters, hers is a Doctorate), but neither of us had been in school for several decades. I've become accustomed to the fact that I run at a slower pace, and I lift less weight than I did in my 30's and even 40's; but I had not realized that learning (which typically came easy to me) would slow down as well. My memory is not what it once was, and I find that I need to concentrate more to pick up new concepts. Over 30 years ago I remember being the smartest guy in the room (or at least thinking I was), but I can feel my intellect slowly waning over time. Not trying to discourage you at all, and you may be as sharp as you were in your youth -- just relaying my experience. All that said, I've passed EMT and AEMT registry exams the first time out -- and I found both exams to be difficult when I was taking them. I credit my success not with my education or smarts, but because I am truly "in to" this field. Go figure, the kid who couldn't stand "life sciences" in school and went more for math and physics, turns out to really have a passion for EMS.
Feel free to PM if you have any questions, concerns, or just want a similarly-aged thought-partner to bounce ideas off of. Good luck and please door keep us all posted.