returning nurse after 4yrs of sahm

[sknurse]

Can you recommend a good critical care review course (preferably distance learning or online) to prepare for re-entry into nursing after 4yrs sahm (stay at home mom). I have been a nurse since 1991. Most of my experience is in the ICU setting. I've worked SICU/CCU, Trauma (short time), Home Health and Wound care. I'd like to return to ICU.

Anyone else out there recently made the transition? I would appreciate any advice you can give.

[TraumaQueen]

Our hospital requires an ICU class while you're on orientation.....

You might check and see if the hospital you're wanting to work for has the same thing. :)

[IamRN]

Welcome back! I am into my fourth month of returning to nursing (ICU) after being a SAHM a month shy of four years. Except for the rare three 12 hours shifts in a row (for which I don't schedule for! :angryfire ) our family is adjusting well...and I to the unit as well (SICU).

I tried renetering through an internship, but at the hospitals I looked into those were reserved for new grads. Next best thing would be to go to a refresher RN class, which are usually offered by local colleges; although I don't know how helpful it would be for ICU specific skills. What worked for me, was to find a manager who was willing to give me a little bit longer of an orientation w/a preceptor than most anyone else w/immediate experience would require; he was only too happy to do this! While I was in orientation I build myself a review folder of all the ICU skills I was once extremely proficient in, but felt a bit rusty about now. It did the trick. I even have my ACLS bacck!

Really your skills will come back...they have never left, but are just a bit rusty :) The strangest thing that came back to me out of the blue one day was the calculation of cardiac output...which is extremely odd because I have never had to manually calculate it! :rotfl: