Inactive RN wanting to return to practice... is it possible...?

Nurses Retired

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Hi there...

I am an inactive RN wanting to return to practice after 5 years of being a stay-at-home mommy. I do have a current license, but I have absolutely no confidence in my skills, knowledge, or ability to get a nursing position. With this in mind, I have an appointment to meet with the dean of a local nursing school later on this week (my alma mater). What is the environment like for inexperienced RN's... pay... likelihood for employment... etc... I want to work for an acute care hospital and I do not have any intentions on working for an agency (I really got burned by one right before I left practice... a topic for an entire thread of its own...)

Thank you for reading my comments, and I will greatly appreciate any input that I receive.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend, and smile often...

Kathryn

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
kathryn, i went thru returning from inactive status to active status after being a stay at home mom for 7 years. first i went to take a cpr class at our local hospital to gain alittle knowledge and confidence. then i renewed my nursing journals and began reading and reading. i shared all my steps to prepare at my first job interview and was hired out of a 2 inch stack of applicants. remember nursing is a revolving circle that even when in practice you are constantly using reference books attending education from insevices, nursing journals and now we have the internet as a resource to keep up with forever changes in the medical world. i learn something new everyday that i go to work from fellow nurses, patients, and doctors. so keep up. and this is my first post on this web site as i joined today! this is all new to me and exciting!!!!

marie

:groupwelcome:of allnurses, marie. come on in and get to know us.
Specializes in LTC.

I'm returning to practice after a long absence due to back problems. I am feeling unsure of myself and I question my skills. Don't know if I'll get hired again. So I've decided to take a refresher course at the local community college, say a BIG prayer then dive right in. I'll either sink or swim. And if I prepare myself the best I can and it doesn't work out,I'll know I gave it my best shot. ALOHA.....:nurse::nurse:

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.
I'm returning to practice after a long absence due to back problems. I am feeling unsure of myself and I question my skills. Don't know if I'll get hired again. So I've decided to take a refresher course at the local community college, say a BIG prayer then dive right in. I'll either sink or swim. And if I prepare myself the best I can and it doesn't work out,I'll know I gave it my best shot. ALOHA.....:nurse::nurse:

Diving into a refresher course and saying a prayer is as good as any advice I can give!

Good luck and trust that your skills will return. I was in ACLS today for the first time since 2001? A few things have changed but it felt good to be back at it.... it felt familiar and comfortable. And this has reinforced my decision to return to nursing.

Good luck, thinking of going back to nursing myself.

I've been working in pharma research for past 3 years and find it a bit dull and unrewarding. All of that on top of 60 hr work weeks for comparable pay :balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons:(if I worked the same number of hours in hospitals I'd make more $).

I've been bitten by the travel bug in this job however, so I'd be interested in travel nursing after I regain some confidence in my nursing skills. I also don't want to get pulled into a lot of hospital politics-which was a major reason I left in the 1st place.

Does anybody here regret their decision to return to nursing??

Specializes in ICU.

When I read your post, it was as if I was writing it!! I too took 5 years off to raise my family and when I left nursing, I was a bit burned out from ICU for 7 years and 20 years in hospital jobs in general. The break was what I needed. I moved cross country with my husband's job and got the "bug" to go back to nursing now that my kiddo's were in school.

I started out applying for my license which I never let go inactive but I had to get my license active in another state and that could take up to 4 months. I also went ahead and checked into a RN refresher course approved by the State's nursing board. I found one that offered correspondence courses with an optional clinical program. I took my CPR while I was waiting for my courses to start. I complete my courses in 5 months (you can take up to a year.)

I revamped my resume and posted it online with several hospitals. Many hospitals are now only taking resumes online! To be honest, I was frustrated with the online process. I did not get a response at all! I finally started applying for some new grad preceptorship jobs that were posted for several ICU's here in a large hospital system. The looked at my resume and saw that I had SEVEN years experience in ICU and finally, I got several interviews and accepted a job in October at a smaller hospital. I am now off orientation and working on my own and I really enjoy it. Nursing has changed alot but the skills came back rather quickly. The biggest change I have seen is the fact that patients are alot sicker, the documentation has INCREASED big time, and the new meds and treatments for conditions have evolved. Overall, I like what I do and am back in ICU. You can do it. I have a bad day now and then, but so does anyone else in many professions. Good Luck and sell yourself and your desire to do what you love....;)

I've been out of nursing since the birth of our first son. Now, after 13 years, I'm looking into returning. I live in NJ and have a large re-instatement fee and must find a refresher course. I can't seem to find one close by our home. I've looked into online courses but am leary about finding a clinical situation and preceptor on my own. Has anyone ever done this? Any advice?

Help!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Paediatrics.

Hi Kathryn

I'm in London, UK, so the system will be different but I just wanted to offer moral support.

Almost 4 years ago, after an absence of 17 years(!) I returned to nursing. I had to complete an eight week refresher course and re-new my registration, etc.

Also, I returned to the same hospital that I had left all those years ago. It was a bit strange at first, particularly seeing some of the same faces who were around back in the old days. All those of us who had young kids back then are now parents of twentysomethings!

You will pick up were you left off.

Everyone asks me the same question: 'Has anything changed in all that time?' I always give the same answer: 'Everything has changed, and nothing has changed' !

Sue

check the colleges that offer nursing degrees they often have refresher courses too

I also am an inactive RN considering returning. I'm thinking about certifying as a CNA and working as an aide while I take a correspondence refresher course and /or find a refresher within driving distance that has classroom and clinical time. Has anyone else gone back with similar experiences to prepare? I've been out of acute care for 14 years, did some home care about 7 years ago. I've got the 'itch' now that my kids are older, and have been reading alot. I want a challenge and to make a difference in the next chapter of my life.

hi Lisa your insight is truly needed here. being out of the scenes doesn't mean we are already unworthy. To be back in the real scene of nursing needs a lot of preparation and willingness to learn.let's not forget we have two arms to embrace the whole situation all we need to do is to be more optimistic and always think that we are not only into a profession but a vocation that needs true and honest dedications:cheers

Specializes in LTC.

I have been trying to return to the field after a 16 year absence. Before I sent out resumes or made applications,I sat down with different Directors of Nursing to see what I needed to do. They all told me the same thing and that was that I'm too old and i've been out too long. They said that they all have hired older returning nurses and it never worked out,even after a refresher course. I'm only 57yo and I live in a part of the country where there is a large nursing shortage. There is a large pool of older nurses wanting to return its a shame they don't see that. Yes, were not as fast as a twenty something and we may have a few more aches and pains but we're still vibrant people with the desire to help.... This leads me to believe that the nursing shortage may be somewhat self imposed.....aloha:nurse:

Specializes in Dialysis, ICU.

Aloha,

I am reading this post from the nurses station at my night shift job in ICU. I was also inactive for 12 years, I returned to work as a nurse 5 years ago at the age of 45. Luckily I was able to return to work in the Dialysis Unit I worked in before I decided to stay at home to raise my family. I wish I had some wonderful words of wisdom to tell you how to return. I did find dialysis very physically taxing. ICU is absolutley wonderful! Mentally challenging and very satisfying. Fortunately for me at 50 I am not the "oldest kid on the block". Even though I never took a refresher course I did a lot of reading and take every opportunity I can for education.

Don't give up, keep looking-something will turn up!

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