How to go from "Homemaker" to RN?

Published

Does anyone have any creative ideas to get around the fact that I have been a stay at home mom for 5 years?? I hardly think if my clinical skills are irrelevant as many say, that listing "Homemaker" will help... I have massive holes in my resume because of circumstances, not that I wanted to leave jobs for the most part. I'm also only 25, and I don't feel I should list short term jobs from before I was 18...I spent all of nursing school trying to obtain employment, as I was relegated to being a Single stay at home mom on my first day of nursing school when my husband decided he didn't want me to be anything other than a homemaker. I never managed to find anything other than a temp seasonal gig that I was asked to return to in the next year. Here's my entire work history I will keep it short and sweet with brief descriptions of what I did.

March 2012 - May 2012 & March 2011 - May 2011 - Field Service Representative

merchandising, reporting, customer service, employee training, negotiations with management for product placement, built displays

(Only left due to it's a seasonal only position)

August 2007 - Present - "Homemaker"

March 2007 - August 2007 - - Field Service Representative

merchandising, project execution, shelf edge services, customer service, reporting

(Left due to complicated pregnancy, was in school full time and working full time at this point, had to stop work due to Hyperemesis Gravidarum, luckily school was mostly online except for 1 class - this began my unintended "Homemaker" career):icon_roll

March 2006 - March 2006 - - Dispatch Assistant

Dispatch, scheduling, general office/clerical, process reimbursements, phone tending

( Left because was offered better job that was closer to home & paid more)

The rest of this is before/right after I turned 18 and was still honestly quite "teenager" stupid

January 2005 - April 2005 Sales Associate @ National Home improvement store

sales, stock, daily packdown

(was fired due to a "no call, no show" - I was in the hospital. When I showed them proof of my hospitalization, they told me I had never been transitioned to a permanent position and that they did not care where I was, they had no responsibilty to keep me)

March 2004 - June 2004 Assistant Lead @ Famous theme park

managed and scheduled employees in absence of Lead, completed ride throughput reports, guest service, and attraction operation

(At this point in my life I had dropped out of high school after being kicked out of my parent's house and was supporting myself with this job, I quit to go back to school & get my high school diploma)

I'm a mess I know. I have had a hard life, but I made it through so far - now I am drowning in debt for my schooling and being told that my clinical experiences in school don't count as experience... HELP please!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Peds, Ortho, LTC and MORE.

First congratulations you are ready to go into the world of nursing. I take it you passed your nclex a few years ago, and since that time have worked as a nurse doing seasonal clinic jobs like flu shot clinics?

If not that then I would suggest that you do put the time as a stay at home mother down, but also in your cover letter, show how you have kept current with the changes in nursing, reading nursing journals, taking continuing education, maintaining current valid rn license....also explain how your other jobs have skills that can transfer and compliment your nursing carrer.

Reigen

Up Vote Up Vote ×
First congratulations you are ready to go into the world of nursing. I take it you passed your nclex a few years ago, and since that time have worked as a nurse doing seasonal clinic jobs like flu shot clinics?

Reigen

I passed NCLEX June 19 - in 45 minutes & 75 questions...:yeah:My license was posted by the board June 21. I have applications in with Mollen, but have not heard a single word out of them... I can't keep waiting around... I am down to the last 500 in my bank and no income after that....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Peds, Ortho, LTC and MORE.
I passed NCLEX June 19 - in 45 minutes & 75 questions...:yeah:My license was posted by the board June 21. I have applications in with Mollen, but have not heard a single word out of them... I can't keep waiting around... I am down to the last 500 in my bank and no income after that....

Oh again congrats!! :yelclap: I was wrong, as I was thinking you had taken your nclex, a while ago... so that makes you a new grad... :nurse:

I would put that you worked parttime while in nursing school , and also ran a house / home with having a family. I would also try to show how I maintained my GPA (if yours was one you would want to brag about), while juggling nursing school, working and family responsibilities. This shows great organizational and time management skills.

I am not sure what type of nursing you want to do or what area you are currently residing in, as that can make it difficult to find that first position. While it is true that clinicals do not equate to nursing experience (work expereince I mean), you can use those as examples of how you learned from them. Setting priorites, adapting quickly to changing situations...

So have some FEE in your life, and I know that soon you will be posting I got a J. O. B.!!!

FEE === Fun, Energy, and Enthusiasm.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh lord the fun things those comments bring up - HAHA, I had a 3.1 GPA, all while being a newly divorced mom with very minimal family support and NO child support (we have 50/50 custody), I literally survived on school loans it was the only way - my house being foreclosed on in the middle of the program....so on so forth a million other hurdles I jumped and sacrifices I made to get here, but I try not to bring that up because then I feel like I am getting a pity job...

I am in DFW (TX) and I would prefer L&D or women's health anything, but that doesn't seem to be much of a possibility right now. I will attach my resume and you can tell me what you think - if you can tell me how to attach it =)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

NOt a happy camper, just had to turn down a job offer because of my custody agreement with ex...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion