HELP! Returning to hospital nursing after eight years!

Jul 16, 2007 08:56 PM

by anniew

I have been a nurse for 21 years and I have decided at the age of 44 I want to go back to med surg nursing.I left the hospital 8 years ago(after 13 years in one job) and went to a family practice office, then a pediatric office,and then for the past three years i was a school nurse.My longevity has been in the hospital and thats where I feel that I belong.I have an interview tommorow but after attending a job fair and talking to this nurse recruiter I get the feeling they would rather have a new grad then someone who as been away from the hospital for that long.Has anyone else been in the same boat? I am willing to relearn what I need to. I know somethings will come back but I dont want to look stupid when they think they are getting a seasoned nurse. HELP!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! Anne RN

*jjjoy* · Jul 18, 2007, 01:09 PM

Re: HELP! Returning to hospital nursing after eight years!

Remember that no matter how many might prefer a new grad to a re-entry (at least to the hospital) nurse, you only need ONE person to give you a chance. I don't know if was you or someone else that I mentioned this to before, but if you can take a refresher course or some kind of med-surg review (some continuing education programs offer this) do that to show that you're serious about this change. Call some agencies and see if they might have something that could help you get your foot back into the inpatient environment.

Good luck!

Sun*shine · Jul 23, 2007, 02:29 PM

Re: HELP! Returning to hospital nursing after eight years!

if this is what you want to do then it'll all work out. a refresher course, will give you a confidence boost in the area and impress your futue empoyees. I'm surprised new grads were preferred, I feel they always lean towards those individuals who have more experience in nursing. At the end of the day if this is what you really want and you're really suited to it (which of course you are!) then you'll find that the issue of you not being a new grad, well, hopefully won't be an issue at all!!
Good luck!!!

New To Site	Need Help	Quick Links
Create An Account General Site Map allnurses.com Journals Terms Of Service Privacy Policy Testimonials Meet Our Staff Advertising Information	Information Center & FAQ Boards of Nursing How-To Video Tutorials Did you forget your password? Compare Membership Contact allnurses.com Text Version Mark All Sections As Read	United States Nursing International Nursing Nursing Specialty Advanced Practice Nursing Critical Care Nursing Nursing Specialties Get In Touch... Find Us On Facebook Follow Us On Twitter

HELP! Returning to hospital nursing after eight years!

HELP! Returning to hospital nursing after eight years!

Nursing News

Four Lehigh Valley Health Network nurses accused of...

lawsuit - But don't most RN's work through breaks/lunch...

Patient Evaluation of Retail Clinic Care

The hard to reach on-call doctor, and its effects on...

Woman charged with passing off prescription drug as...

Man in "Vegetative State" was conscious for 23...

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

Possible breakthrough regarding MS

16th Philly area hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy...

Really interesting article on Indian open hearts

Available Topics (tags)