former RN, wishing to use skills somewhere!

DG5 · Apr 16, 2005

Hi there,
I am not a young un, near 40 years, and have a little one at home. I no longer have an active license to practice, but I have graduated from a school of nursing, as an RN, and wish to use my skills and knowledge somewhere! I am thinking I could maybe challenge the LPN exam in Alberta. I am currently working at a medical clinic doing mainly admin type work. Any suggestions greatly appreciated! TIA,
Ally :wink2:

Hi Ally1

Why don't you just take the Refresher course and continue being an RN? I was out of nursing for 18 years and I did the nursing refresher course and got a job in an intermediate care facility. It took me just a few months to do it. It is well worth it.

Ally1 · Apr 17, 2005

Hi Ally1
Why don't you just take the Refresher course and continue being an RN? I was out of nursing for 18 years and I did the nursing refresher course and got a job in an intermediate care facility. It took me just a few months to do it. It is well worth it.

Hi

Thanks for replying to my post. Well, the truth is, I've found getting back into nursing difficult, as when I graduated nurses had a little less responsibility than they do now, and the system just seems so much more fragmented, I've found it hard to adapt. You see, I've already done the course, but again, it has lapsed (my license)..and, well, I feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall. But in the meantime, feel frustrated that I'm not using the skills and knowledge that I do have, up to their potential. I was thinking of looking into challenging the LPN exam, and trying to get employment somewhere using the full range of skills that LPN's can use, but I'm not sure if I can even do this. Any further ideas, let me know. Again, thanks for getting back to me.

Ally

Fiona59 · Apr 17, 2005

You said you were in Alberta, have you checked the scope of practice for LPN's? Our scope of practice now covers IM, SC, IV therapy and meds, wound care, physical assessment, we do it all. One of my fav. RN's has even said that we do more than she did when she graduated in 1980.

You might want to meet with a career advisor or even a life skills coach to determine what field you want to work in.

LPN's have greatly advanced in their practice over the last two decades.

Contact the CLPNA for an idea of what an LPN is expected to do. They also administer the national licensing exam. I know that if an LPN has been out of practice for several years there is a refresher for them, so you might even want to look into that.

DG5 · Apr 17, 2005

Well, I can only speak from experience. I too, was 40 something with five kids, out of nursing for many years, also doing office type jobs. I had no idea how to get back in and it took two years of my life to figure it out. I finally applied to a college to take the first part of the refresher course. Here in BC there are two parts to it, and the first part took three months. I did it in stages , that is the only way I could do it. I let six months go by, and then I decided to take the other part which includes a practicum somewhere. I phoned around and got a care facility (geriatric) to take me on for the practicum. The second part of this program took four months. I started working in the same facility after I finished - they had a night job open and I took the plunge. They were VERY supportive, I felt I knew nothing, but I found out that the life experiences I had accumulated put me in a very good position to be a caring nurse, and a nurse that is willing to learn anything. Five years later, I am third in seniority in the facility, I have just taken the CNA gerontology exam to become a certified gerontological nurse in the specialty I love and know. We have LPN's also in our facility, they are valued members of the team. I just think that, if you once had your RN, and if you tap into the resources out there for you, you might discover that there really is all the support there for you to do it. Call one of the community colleges there in Alberta and have a chat with someone in the nursing department. Phone up some facilities and hospitals and speak to nurses, maybe the clinical resource nurses would be good to chat to - speak to the director of care, and the nursing managers of some of these facilities and see what your options can be. There are lots of places out there looking for good nurses. Some of the best are the ones that are just like you - don't underestimate your abilities. I hope that helps!