Are there any agencies that don't require recent acute care experience?

[tweetysue]

I had a major burnout and have not worked as a nurse for about 4 years - and before that I did 5 years with Hospice. I have maintained an active license. Now, I'd like to go back to nursing, however I don't want to go back into a permanent hospital position. I used to work in a hospital pool - but don't want to get locked into one facility. And I really only want/need to work 1 or 2 shifts a week. The information I've seen seems to indicate a requirement for recent acute care experience in order to work for an agency. I live in Palm Harbor, Florida and would like to stay fairly close to home. Any suggestions or ideas about how I should proceed?

[suzanne4, RN]

Your only possibility would be to go per diem at a local hospital. They may require that you take a refresher course first, since you have been away for 4 years and did hospice before that. You may be able to find some hospice work in an agency, but again they are going to want recent expereince. Your most recent actue care work was nine years ago. Don't think that you can get around that.

Good luck.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I agree with Suzanne - maybe a refresher course would be a good place to start. From there, you can network with others and find out what recruiters are looking for in your area.