BeatriceBee

Even though this post is two years old, as the OP, I just want to follow up with this as a success story. Maybe it will encourage someone in a similar situation. About a year ago, I decided to apply to a few low acuity positions before trying the refresher course, and to my surprise, I was offered a part time clinic position almost immediately. The training was good but I was surprised at how quickly my skills came back to me. I’m so glad I did not give up on my nursing career.

Thanks everyone for the insight. It gave me hope to hear some of you say you didn’t think my resume had a black mark on it. I had always heard leaving a job before one year was a big no no and red flag for employers. My plan now is to ask a few questions of the refresher program, luckily it is a well known and accredited nursing school. Hopefully I will take the plunge of enrolling this summer. There seems to be a lot of nursing jobs listed in my area, both in and outpatient. I take that as a good sign but not sure how else to judge job availability. @MEINstudent Yes I luckily did keep up my license, and definitely there are things I have forgetten. My understanding is the refresher course was designed for nurses who have taken time off, bringing them up to date with skills and knowledge. @glencovediva Good luck to you! I hope you are able to find something. How long did you practice and how long have you been out? If you are able to find a refresher course that is less money, or sometimes I know there are courses you have to arrange your own clinicals, maybe that would be less expensive. For me a refresher is definitely key both for safety and also my confidence. I have also heard some people say to volunteer at a hospital or orginazation you would like to work at and hopefully make some connections, that way when you are ready to return, they see a familiar face. @Ice keeper Glad to hear of your success story with a refresher course!

Hi, I’m new here, and would be grateful for advice or someone sharing their own experiences if they were/are in a similar situation. Hope this post is not too long. I have been out of nursing for about 7 years. I would like to return to the field, but I am nervous about even attempting to get back in. The reason is I only had 2.5 years of experience when I left. I took a job in a clinic after graduating, really enjoyed it, but after two years, I switched to a surgical floor hospital job to gain more experience ( I could not get a hospital job prior to this.) Unfortunately, I left the hospital after only 7 months. In retrospect I realize how terrible of a decision this was for my career. I did have normal stress of adapting to the hospital, but the unit itself was great, I had ample orientation and supportive management and co-workers. I was working nights and my body just did not react well. While normally healthy, I now felt horrible and was sick almost constantly, felt depression for the first time ever and a constant dizziness. I began to dread my shifts so I spoke to my manager and she was supportive, offering me either day shifts or an outpatient position. I’m not sure why I did this, I think I just felt so burnt out physically, and also had the advice from my family to leave... so I just gave four weeks instead. I was thinking I would take some time off (was getting married soon,too) and go back to a clinic position. Instead, I ended up getting married and having 3 children back to back. I have stayed home and raised my kids the past 7 years and enjoyed (mostly!) every second of it. Now with the last one soon approaching school age, I dream of having my nursing career back. I have the option of taking a nursing refresher course with clinicals in my area. However, it is over $2,000.00. That would definitely be a financial burden on my family if I am not able to secure a job afterwards. I think the course is mostly geared towards adult med/surg but would be helpful for skills with an outpatient position as well. I definitely need some kind of refresher. I guess my question is- do you think it is even worth it to take a course and try to get back to nursing when I have such little experience and clearly a black mark on my resume? Or should I forget my dream and look for fufilling work outside of nursing. Would love feedback and others similar stories. Thank you.