I desperately want to get back into the profession

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Hello, All. I graduated from Seton Hall U in 1986 with a BSN, and I worked for 13 years in med/surg, telemetry, and home health in NJ, South Carolina, Nevada and Texas. I stopped working in 1999 to raise my 4 children. Our family moved overseas and my Texas license expired in July 2000. We recently moved back to San Antonio. My 2 youngest are school-age now and I'd like to go back to work. I've read up on what I need to do to get my Tx license active again. I'd like to get a job in the meantime to pay the $3000 tuition required for the RN Refresher Course at UTSA HSC. I don't know where to start to get my foot in the door. What would be the proper route to take? Would I be able to work as a CNA? How would I find out which area of nursing is right for me in this day and age? Any and all guidance and opinions are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you for reading my post.

Mary

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Welcome Back!

Since you are currently "unlicensed, there shouldn't be a problem working as a CNA, but first you would need to become "certified". This is usually accomplished via a CNA course - which are usually pretty easy to locate. I have no idea whether you could 'challenge' the certification exam, but I doubt whether it would be wise since you may not be familiar with current CMS-mandated issues and regulations.

Nursing has changed a great deal in the years since you last practiced, especially in acute care settings. A refresher course is the best way to become familiar with today's nursing environment. Best of luck to you. Keep us posted on your progress.

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