Been out of work for 8 months now, have a question

inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · May 12, 2018

Most states offer a review course, I would recommend considering that.

Sour Lemon · May 12, 2018

Hey everyone. So I've only been an ADN trained nurse now for 2 years. I recently have been out of work now for 8 months due to personal and family reasons.
Being out this long, I really feel like I've been out of the flow long enough to where I feel rather disconnected from engrained habits and crucial knowledge/skills.
are there any recommendations on reading material I can use which offers a condensed review of nursing essentials?
Much thanks!

You could just buy a med/surg book and read it ...but I'm not sure you need to unless your two years of experience were spent hopping around confused. That should have created a pretty stable foundation, assuming your goal is to return to the same type of nursing you were doing before.

Everline · May 12, 2018

What did you do your first year as a nurse? What kind of nursing?

vishnu10003 · May 12, 2018

Thanks for the suggestions.

I was a physical rehabilitation nurse for my 2 years of employment.

Being out these 8 months a lot has happened in my life and I feel like Ive lost a lot of crucial information I learned in nursing school.

I eventually wanted to go into an acute care setting and If I were to try and transition into that now I feel like I would be a deer in headlights.

So in terms of literature, are there any condensed med surg books geared towards this goal?

Sour Lemon · May 13, 2018

Thanks for the suggestions.
I was a physical rehabilitation nurse for my 2 years of employment.
Being out these 8 months a lot has happened in my life and I feel like Ive lost a lot of crucial information I learned in nursing school.
I eventually wanted to go into an acute care setting and If I were to try and transition into that now I feel like I would be a deer in headlights.
So in terms of literature, are there any condensed med surg books geared towards this goal?

I think your best bet would be to get back into rehab, get some current experience, and then look to transition. The absence is not a huge issue, and moving to acute care is not a huge thing ...but combined, you may run into some difficulty.

Med/surg books are already pretty condensed. Memorizing "pieces" of the big picture is generally not helpful when it comes to actual learning. If you want to study "what would you do" types of situations, you could get an NCLEX review book, I suppose.

inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · May 13, 2018

I think your best bet would be to get back into rehab, get some current experience, and then look to transition. The absence is not a huge issue, and moving to acute care is not a huge thing ...but combined, you may run into some difficulty.
Med/surg books are already pretty condensed. Memorizing "pieces" of the big picture is generally not helpful when it comes to actual learning. If you want to study "what would you do" types of situations, you could get an NCLEX review book, I suppose.

I moved from home health triage, where I did little nursing, for a year and then went back to acute care. It's a learning curve, but it all comes back.

TriciaJ, RN · May 13, 2018

Since you've been out less than a year, you could do agency work in your previous specialty. You'll be surprised how quickly it all comes back and will help you be more confident starting a new specialty.