returning nurse after 4yrs of sahm

Specialties MICU

Published

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

88 Posts

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

303 Posts

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:

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