Nurses who haven't been doing acute care

I don't know if it is "usual," but it is very common. New grads are generably very teachable and prepared to do what it takes to succeed. They are familiar with today's environment, having recently been in the hospital as a student and having recently studied the current health care climate.

Nurses who have been out of the hospital for a period of years often have not kept up with the changes that have occurred in recent years -- both in terms of clinical care and in terms of "climate." They may expect things to be like they were the last time they worked in a hospital and expect to be able to slip right back into their old level of expertise without having to change a lot of the ways they do things and look at things. Sometimes, they have unrealistic expectations and really struggle with "reality shock" when they try to adjust to a world they thought they knew -- but really don't. Many "older" nurses are also not happy with the changes in nursing and are thereful unhappy with their new jobs. They may also be unhappy with having to "start at the bottom again" and re-learn their old profession ... as well as with not having the benefits of seniority they gave up when they left. So, they can be unhappy employees.

Of course, that's not true for everybody -- and I am writing in very broad generalizations here. As we all know, it really depends on the individual person and the particular situation. But it is often more difficult for the nurse who has been out of the hospital for a number of years to come back than it is for a new grad to become competant.

llg

Jeez! Well, I hope *somebody* will hire me...

Oh ... you'll probably find a job ... but you might have to really make an effort to "sell" yourself and what you have to offer. You'll need to convince a potential employer that you HAVE kept up with changes in the nursing profession and that you ARE prepared to do what it will take to succeed. As I said in my post, there are people who come back to hospital nursing after being away for a while and who succeed. You'll just have to present yourself as being one of them.

Also, you might have to make a few compromises in the position you take. It may not be your first choice ... and/or it may not offer the perfect schedule, etc. Then, after you have been successful in that job for a while, you will have a lot more opportunities open up for you.

You might want to look for a job that includes a strong orientation program -- one that will give you an orientation similar to what a new grad would receive.

Good luck,

llg

I should have included in my previous posts that I have done it (somewhat). I have been away from acute care a couple of times in my career and been able to "come back."

The first time was when I was out of the hospital completely for 2.5 years (except for a little clinical time) while I got my MSN. Part of my CNS role after I graduated included working as a staff nurse occasionally and I was able to do it.

10 years later, when I got my PhD, I was totally out of the hospital for a 7 full years -- then returned to the Neonatal ICU in a CNS/educator role. While I never had to function fully in that role as a staff nurse, I did do some staff nursing as part of my orientation. After about 3 weeks of orienting as a staff nurse, I started to settle in again. I never got completely re-oriented to the staff nurse role because I had to get to work on my CNS projects -- but I could see that if I had gotten a full orientation, I could have done it.

It is possible -- but not easy.

llg