72-Year-Old Starts Medical Residency After 45 Years as NP

Most people are thinking about retirement at 72, but Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft is about to start one of medicine's most grueling challenges: a medical residency.

She just graduated from medical school and matched into a family medicine program. In one week, she'll turn 73 and begin her residency, proving it's never too late to chase a dream you postponed decades ago.

Dawn's medical journey began in college when she fell in love with diagnostics, physiology, and anatomy during her nursing program. Her mother had predicted this path when Dawn was just 7 years old, suggesting she become a pathologist after watching her daughter's fascination with a microscope (and an unfortunate mealworm experiment that invaded the family refrigerator).

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Dawn started her premed requirements and even got ready to take the MCAT. But life had other plans. She met her first husband, got pregnant with her first daughter, and was accepted into the very first neonatal nurse practitioner program in the country.

She chose the path that let her be both a mom and a medical provider. For 45 years, she worked as an NP in intensive neonatal care, often doing 24-hour in-house hospital calls. She pioneered a practice where nurses could step into provider roles, paving the way for others to follow.

Why This Inspires

Dawn isn't naive about what's ahead. She knows residency will be exhausting, having experienced those brutal hours during her own NP training back in 1980. She's been sleeping as much as possible to prepare and joked with her doctor about getting a "physician excuse for a mommy nap once a day."

Her physicians think she's a bit insane, but they've worked with her for years. They know her high energy and expertise. Some say they'd never do what she's doing, while others who still practice in their late 60s understand the passion that keeps you going.

Dawn's story reminds us that dreams don't come with expiration dates. She waited nearly five decades, raised her family, built an impressive career, and still found the courage to start over in her seventies.

One week after turning 73, she'll put on her white coat and begin again.