Return to nursing after more than a decade? - page 2

OH, yes, i so so understand and hope that any parent raising kids, who wants to, or can find a way, to stay at home, or only work very part time, i can so understand that urge, very much. I did not have that option, and did work full time, and raise my kids part time, which was not ideal for my family, but, i did the best i could at the time, but, an exhausted mom is not always able to do her best. On bright side, for the bulk of that time, their father was home with them, if i was at work, so i was lucky that way.


In later years, my best pal/next door neighbor,
took my kids in the early morning hours before school started,
and i was home to get her kids and mine off the bus each day, after school. No cash, we just traded hours, i did after school, and neighbor did before school. Also cool, we had keys to each other homes, in case either kid said "oh no! i forgot my violin!" or whatever.

Again, another super lucky set up to have best pal next door. Lol, our kids would have been back and forth between the 2 houses, whether us moms were working or not, ha ha.

on the other hand, i know a young nurse who is a parent, who works parttime, cuz she wants to, and has that option to only work part time. She really could stay at home if she wanted to,
but, she chooses to work, to stay sane. For her personally, being home 24/7 with a bunch of rowdy kids is more stressful to HER personally, if she does NOT get breaks from it. Lol, she often says, she goes to work to relax, hee hee.
(but, she HAS been in work force steadily, so she IS now comfortable being at work, which is not the same as what we are talking about----nurses who have been out long enough, that we've lost our confidence about working).
She says if she stays home 24/7, she goes nutzzzzz, and feels she is less patient with her children, when she is with them 24/7.


guess it shows we are all unique individuals, and what works best for one person,
might not be best answer for another.


Imo, whether a person is a mom or not,
if someone has been out of the workforce long enough that they have lost confidence (maybe that feeling is appropriate, OR, maybe for some who havent been gone that long, maybe for some it is overly large in their minds than it should be)
going back will be challenging, especially at first. Maybe is the optimist in me, or maybe it's just the lovely coffee i am sipping on, or the lovely mood i am in right now with the sun streaming in the window,
but, i feel like, if/when we go back,
that we will find our way again. That our confidence will come back, slowly and appropriately, as we see our own selves doing it well again.
nope, not at first, is how i picture it. Nope, my guess is, at first, we'll all be terrified, unsure, nervous, clumsy, and worse, somewhat inept. That fear is probably a good thing. I kinda think, i'd be a bit worried about any nurse who has not been working for a long time, and says, "oh no big deal, no worry, i'll do fine"
cuz, i think our fears and concerns ARE appropriate. NO doubt, there are things we will have to learn, and catch up on.


but, i also think this fear, however appropriate, IS logical, and appropriate, BUT that it will pass as we either take refresher courses or get a job with a great mentoring set up, or however we get back on the horse,
i do think, with time, and education we'll probably slowly re-gain our confidence and skills back. that's my guess, anyway.

Yes, i have an autistic nephew, a very severe case of autism, too, and no denying that IS a huge challenge. His mother, my sisinlaw, is pretty much a saint, nicest most devoted mom you can find,
but, even she says, she has to have time away,
whether it is part time job, or some group/activity she is involved with, whatever, as doting and dedicated as she is, she can't do it 24/7. I don't think i could either.

but, my nephew, despite being very severely autistic, goes to some type of school, mon-fri, and so she is free during those hours to do whatever. And she does DO whatever! YAY for her, and whew!

If your community offers a similar program for children in need, perhaps your son could also join in, too, and thus, freeing you up for many hours per week,
to focus on other things you are interested in??

just a thought. I do think moms of special needs kids need a lot of support/outlets/etc. For some, working (even part time) or going to school (even part time) might provide a much needed respite from the sometimes overwhelming frustrations faced by parents of special needs kids (or even parents of 'normal" kids---i think parenthood is challenging, period!! imo. Evne "normal" teenagers can make a mom wanna pull her hair out, mmHmm.),
and even going part time, might alleviate some of your concerns about not using your training. There are many less stressful forms of nursing,
than hospital nursing, btw. Lots of other ways to nurse.


but yeah, we are all unique individuals, and what helps one parent cope,
might not work for another parent. BEST OF LUCK!!!

LOL, almost all my fellow classmates were 45+. We even had one 70 yr old!!!

I totally get the staying home and losing your mind thing with kids. I frequently tell my husband that if I could get a calm office job that working full time would be soooooo much easier. Working full time in nursing probably too, after the first few crazy stress years. Oh well, you can't have your cake and eat it too, LOL

There is always time. Do what you think is right and don't look back (or atleast try not to, LOL)..

I am doing the same thing: Have been out of nursing since 1997: worked psych and public health so not much actual medical experience. Am looking to get into school, clinic, or possibly public health nursing again. Would love to do patient navigation but with no recent experience...not sure. Lots of questions to get answered.

And, I am going to be 53 in April, so not too late for anyone if they are motivated.

And, I am going to be 53 in April, so not too late for anyone if they are motivated. I start an RN refresher course next week! Have owned a coffeehouse and gift shop for the past 6 years and am ready to move on. Will post an update on how the refresher course is going.