Current License, long time since patient care!

[dianalcrn]

I have kept my nursing license current and completed all CE requirements as needed. I have a MSN and have been teaching nursing courses on-line for several years while I worked in pharma. I would like to return to active nursing for a few years as I approach retirement. Truly I think that much of what I did as an ICU nurse would come back to me, though I no longer want the stress of ICU. Any advice on how I can approach a hospital to improve my chances of getting a nursing position? I live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

Thanks!

[Seaofclouds, BSN, RN]

I would recommend typing up a cover letter that emphasizes the things you have done to keep in touch with patient care and the completion of those CE requirements. When I have interviewed nurses that have been away from the bedside, I always want to know what they've done to stay in tough with the continuously changing standards of clinical care. Is there a particular area you are interested in getting into? If so, maybe see if there is any way to shadow someone on that unit. That way you can see what they face on the floor and really decide which area you want to be in. Good luck!