I am an LPN, but drove a truck last 11 years Advice?

[fieldnurse]

Brief history. 45yrs old (whoa!)

Graduated PN school in 12/1992

LPN as of 5/1993

Worked as GPN/LPN from 1993-1997 in Nursing Homes / Home Healthcare.

Over the Road Truck Driver 1998-2000

Maintenance/Custodial 2000-2003

LPN Home Health Spring 2003

Truck Driver 2003-2012

Over the years I have allowed my license to lapse and then have renewed it several times...just in case I might need it. Uh, well...

I have once again renewed it, but I have only worked as a nurse for 4 1/2 yrs out of the last 20 years.

Today, I went to a job fair and was presented with a simple nursing quiz. I knew I was in trouble when the second question was about a common drug I had never heard of before. I said to myself "oh, no" and with 50/50 chance for all the glory - I got it wrong. (should have gone with my first choice).

I am ordering books and consider myself a student with a "loaded license" in my hands (no disrespect to nursing students - I now R one - and the mind is much slower 20 years later.) At this time I think it is safe to say that I am not a very attractive candidate for employment and along with my quizzes I am sure most of my applications will end up in the proverbial "circular file".

All that above is leading to ask this question. If you were me - where would you start?

What tools for self study could you recommend and what positions other than lpn would you think beneficial for me to get better grounded as a "health care" worker. I am all for working in another position as I work my way back in to nursing. One training RN asked me if it was legal for me to work as CNA / CMA under an LPN license - I said I would be willing but I have no idea it is legal or not. In today's world I would think it would not be legal.

Well, anyway I saw an ad placed online by a local hospital looking for a delivery driver and thought, "hmmm?", could this be a place start or is it dead end thinking on my part.

Thanks for your help.

[fieldnurse]

I live in the southern half of Missouri and most of the nurses hired in our 600 plus bed hospital are ASN graduates. They encourage us to go on to a BSN - and I will too. Of the six graduate nurses hired for our floor 2 had BSN degrees and 4 had ASN degrees. One of my 2 primary preceptors had an ASN my other preceptor had a BSN (both were wonderful). Almost all of the programs in our area are ASN programs. Pay is lower, but so is the cost of living.

[nursel56]

Hello,

I know my previous post is almost 3 years old and another is 6 months, but to give a more complete update (primarily for didi768 sake)- I went on to complete my prerequisites and then on to nursing school. I graduated in Dec, 2015 with a ASN in ]nursing and passed boards in Feb 2016. I am now an RN working on a Specialty/Med-surg floor and it is a drastic change in my life. Learning to become a competent nurse is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. There is a lot of stress, but I have great co-workers to help me. Every shift is a challenge. In school (of which I loved going to) I had great classmates and am so glad to have completed the LPN bridge program in one year.

This post made my day. Many people (including myself sometimes) wonder "can I do this?" When someone shares a success story and practical tips it gives the rest of us hope!

Congrats!