[sommer2007]

hi, i have not worked for 15 years as a RN because I was stay-at-home mom, but now I desperately want to return to my career. I hope it won't be difficult to get rehired. any suggestions, i am listening.

[rn/writer]

Check into refresher courses in your area. Start with community colleges and tech schools as their programs (if they have them) are usually reasonable in price.

I took such a course a few years back and was able to find my current job afterward.

There were fifteen students in my class. Some had been out twelve, fifteen, twenty years. As far as I know, we all found work.

Our course consisted of eight weeks of classroom and lab, with the last six weeks including a clinical as well. Unlike nursing school where a group of students go to the same site, we were placed individually in a variety of settings, from a clinic office to home health to acute care.

The aim of the course was twofold. First, to give us exposure to the latest trends, meds, equipment, etc. and get us up to speed clinically. Second, and equally important, to restore our confidence and help us to feel like nurses who had a place in the working world again.

If you cannot find such a program, see if any local hospitals would be willing to take you on as an orientee. You may have to start at the lowest level on the clinical ladder (I did), but you ought to advance more rapidly than true newbies (I did that as well).

Let us know what happens. I wish you the best.

[Tweety]

Good advice from Miranda above. Welcome!

[nurseangel47]

You'll definitely need to take a refresher course. I did after being out of nursing for a few years and though it isn't required by the NCBON in the state where I live, I wanted/needed to to refresh and improve my nursing skills to reenter the work force as a nurse. That's the way it is when you stay out of touch with nursing. Too much technology to catch up on otherwise. And modes of care do change over the years, unfortunately.
Good luck and welcome back to a field of humanity that needs good nurses desperately! I wish you the best in returning to nursing. PS-the refresher course I took was a godsend and I enjoyed it sooo much due to a fantastic instructor that I almost would take it over again....that's how much fun we had and bonded so well together...the whole group plus the instructor!