tashby40

Hi Iwanna, I so believe in prayer. The Lord has been so good to me and is sooo faithful! I am excited for you as I see the Lord opening doors. It is a total faith walk, but when you feel in your soul that it's your calling--it is so worth walking through those doors. You can do it! We also could only miss 1 class, but it worked out. The hospital we practiced in also was in the worse section of Jacksonville, Florida, but we learned so much. It was a great hospital and I could actually see myself working there if it didn't work out to get the job I applied for. It is known as a teaching hospital and I had trained there approximately 24 years ago. Iwanna, the best piece of advise I can give you is to dive in and when you are in clinicals, put yourself out there. Let the nurse that you shadow know that you are willing to give meds and do procedures. Tell her to be with you if you aren't comfortable. By the time you get done with clinicals, you'll feel so encouraged. I believe I will begin my job this next week and I know I'll be nervous and this is normal. It will, however, pass. Please keep us posted as you begin this exciting journey! tashby40

Iwanna, thank you for following my progress. I wish you the very best and am excited that your class is coming through for you. Being nervous, is so normal--I keep telling myself that. Your determination to get back into nursing will pay off. I looked at my 10 year old daughter this morning and said, "Can you believe that your mom is a nurse." I stopped my nursing career when I had my oldest son 22 years ago. So, they think it is really cool. The last I remembered reading was that you were concerned they were going to cancel your class for not having enough interest. How many are in your class, do you know? How neat it is that you are going to be staying with your husband. Having a small room, with no interruptions is perfect! Please keep us posted on your progress. I go Tuesday morning to fill out paperwork. I've already had the "Welcome to Shands" conversation and it was great! Good luck, tashby

Well, I got the word yesterday that I did get the job! Yippee!!!! It has really been stressful waiting because I didn't apply anywhere else. This job is prn which I desparately need for the flexibility. HR explained to me that it was pretty tough getting all my reference checked out because they dated way back. They also had to explain to the administrator of the hospital that I had recently finished the FCCJ refresher course, or otherwise I wouldn't have been hired! I cringe when I think about that and am thankful I wasn't aware that was going on. I thank God that FCCJ provided this course or I wouldn't have gotten my dream job!

Well, I got the word yesterday that I did get the job! Yippee!!!! It has really been stressful waiting because I didn't apply anywhere else. This job is prn which I desparately need for the flexibility. HR explained to me that it was pretty tough getting all my reference checked out because they dated way back. They also had to explain to the administrator of the hospital that I had recently finished the FCCJ refresher course, or otherwise I wouldn't have been hired! I cringe when I think about that and am thankful I wasn't aware that was going on. I thank God that FCCJ provided this course or I wouldn't have gotten my dream job!

I said a "normal, healthy, lack of confidence..." What a goofy statement. What I mean't to say is that it is normal to be nervous going back in because you've been out a while. Being that we have people's lives in our hands, we have to really be on our toes, so it's a bit challenging when you first get back in. All the nurses in my refresher course have felt nervous but want to get back in so bad that we all say it's worth it.

This message is especially for Iwanna. It looks like I got the job today. Oh, my goodness, am I ever excited! The Nursing Manager called saying that she was submitting my paperwork to HR today and I should be hearing back from them this week. She said they are looking forward to getting to know me better soon. I am so excited and exhausted at the same time. Iwanna, I am really excited for you. The refresher course makes all the difference in the world. We work this next weekend in the hospital and are done with the course. I have started an IV, inserted a foley, given IV pushes, subcutaneous injections, g-tube feeding and had lots of exposure to charting. I could not even imagine attempting to go into nursing without this course. As a returning nurse, you will feel a healthy, normal, lack of confidence, but know this is normal and it will get better. I know I will feel nervous when I actually begin my new job. I can't wait to settle in! I know it's going to be tough leaving your mother. Would she ever consider moving to where you guys are? My parents just moved next door to us and I am ecstatic! They even had 40 acres about an hour from us but decided to live next to us because they understand they are getting older and may need help one day. Please keep me posted and feel free to ask me any questions! Make sure you google for interview questions so you'll be prepared. Also, your refresher instructor will make a great reference! Be sure to assert yourself during clinicals. Remember that it's normal to be nervous, but you can do it. Thanks for asking about my job. Teresa Ashby

Hi Iwanna, Wow, that's great that you got the call! I hope I can be of encouragement to you. I have a friend who has been out 20 years and just got a job working in a long term care unit. She feels overwhelmed right now, but knows it'll pass. I called her after I saw your message to see how she was doing. She told them she was uncomfortable right now because it's been a while and even still, they hired her. If I was you, I'd give it a shot. If you've only been out 4 years, you'll be surprised how a lot will come back to you. They've seen your resume? If so, they know you've been out and will probably want to give you a decent orientation. She says she has 20 patients, but all are p.o. meds. The nurses are real patient with her knowing she is nervous and are stressing to her that she will get it in time. As far as the interview, do a search in this site for interview questions. Or, do a google search for general questions. Prepare for the fact that there may be 3-4 people in the room, but don't let that freak you out. They know you are nervous and will probably want to put you at ease. Just be positive and stress you are looking forward to growing as a nurse. My questions were....."How do you deal with a difficult patient?" What would you do if a doctor started screaming at you? How do you deal with criticism? Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker and if so, how did you handle it? Hope this helps. Let me know what you decide! I am still in my refresher course--it will end in 2 more weekends and I have learned a lot, but have a lot more to learn. I will let you know when I get the call. In the meantime, I will be praying for you! Lots a luck, tashby40

You have greatly encouraged me. I have been so keyed up since the interview. I will definitely let you know what happens. I will be calling them tomorrow if they don't call me. It will be 1 week since the interview tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I had a interview last Thursday, (today's Wednesday) and did pretty good, I thought. A friend of mine works there and ran into the Head E.R. nurse who interviewed me and she said they loved me. Well, here' my question, as I sit on pins and needles hoping to hear back from HR. After interviewing with the Nursing Director, Head E.R. nurse and 2 medical surgical nurses--I expressed to the Nursing Director that I had understood they had a wonderful orientation program. During the interview, the other nurses voluntarily told me that the Nursing Director had recently revised orientation so that all would feel comfortable. I had not asked them about orientation, but being they shared that with me, I told her they were impressed with her new revised orientation. The Nursing Director looked shocked and said, "I am so surprised, I'm not use to the nurses coming in and wanting to do orientation. They normally say, "Oh, I don't really need an orientation." I told her that I didn't feel that way and feel orientation is important. Now, I'm panicking because I'm afraid she thinks I feel I need an extensive orientation. I was just paying her a complement. Now, I don't know what to do. She said it was nice to hear the complement. I'm frustrated because I was not real concerned about orientation, I just want to be confident of hospital procedures. It is a small, rural hospital. What do you think? Should I have expressed my appreciation for a good orientation program. Does it make me look insecure? Oh--the wait seems like an eternity!

Hey Iwanna, Good for you! I have to say that the classroom portion of the class for us wasn't bad at all. The only homework we had was she would give us a diagnosis and have us give an oral report. I did 2 the entire 6 weeks of the course. She let us research online the diagnosis and read directly off our paper. We just printed out the pertinent information and read it to the class, but I learned so much by doing that. We had a total of 3 tests that weren't bad at all. I do have a 14" binder packed with notes that we covered in class. The clinicals are great as we are put with a nurse to shadow and we let them know anything we want to do. I have inserted a foley, iv and given many meds after just a couple weekends. It is intimidating, but well worth it if you want it bad enough. I have 2 more weekends working 12 hour shifts on whatever floor I'm assigned to. I'll let you know how things go. Please keep me posted on your progress. I wish you the very best!

Hi Oedgar and Iwanna, I wanted to let you both know that it is really good if you can get into a refresher course because depending on where you go, they like to see that. I have to drive approx. 1 hour away to take the course and the hospital is also an hour away on the days I go to clinical. Fortunately, it is a quick course so it is over before you know it. I had my interview for the prn position at a rural hospital and I feel pretty confident I got the job, but one of the first questions one of the nurses asked was, "How long have you been out?" He was looking at my resume and saw the last dates of clinical practice. I immediately began to talk about the RN refresher course and that seemed to satisfy the team. I said it was an excellent program and explained how thorough it was including the clinical rotation. I explained that though technology has advanced, nursing is still the same. The procedures are the same--medications have changed but that's an everyday occurrence and I can look those up. Also, my life experiences and maturity brings me to another level of nursing. The lesson I have learned is that once in, I will keep my hands in it and not ever completely stop practicing again. It's just a challenge taking the steps to prepare for re-entry but so worth it! I wish you both the very best of luck and please feel free to email me if you have any further questions. In the meantime, pray I get my call back to say I got the job! :)

I am excited beyond words! I received a call from the hospital that I applied for yesterday and was set up for an interview this morning. I was so excited and nervous but I believe all went well. I was interviewed by the ER Nursing Manager, 2 med surg nurses and a utilization review nurse. (My background includes Med/Surg, Homehealth and Utilization review.) The staff was so encouraging and welcoming. I pray I know tomorrow if I get the job. I am asking for prn. I am sooooo thankful for the Nurse Refresher Course for I feel I will be really prepared going back in. I'll let you know what happens. Thank you to all who have responded to my post.

Thank you all, so much for responding to my post. I have been out approx. 20 years and had a really successful day on an Orthopedic floor today. I started an IV on a patient with bad veins and inserted a foley catheter. Also, I was administering IV pushes of morphine and gave p.o. meds along with some charting. I am so thankful, but what I hate is the nervousness that I feel more when I get home. It's just overwhelming right now, but I know it'll get easier. If you are going back in, I can't stress enough how encouraging an RN refresher can be. Plus, hospitals, I believe, are more apt to hire you--especially in my case of being out so long. Thank you, Fitline Champ, Disney Fool and Sagal08. I wish you the best also. Now, I just have to pray I can get the job I'm shooting for! It's so close to home and a great med surg environment. tashby40

I am hoping to return as an RN on a medical surgical floor in a rural hospital soon, but feel the typical lack of confidence right now. Has anybody got a word for me? I am excited and then sometimes I think I must be crazy! I would love to hear a success story from somebody who has been out about as long as I have and your new job in the hospital. I know I can do it, but hope the hospital, should I be hired, will be patient with me and provide the orientation I need to feel confident. I really appreciate your words of encouragement, tashby40

I am a returning RN after 25 years. I am in the middle of our local college RN refresher course. I pray it isn't too challenging finding someone willing to give me a chance. I worked a year in Med Surg and floated in different areas when I first graduated out of Nursing School, then worked Home Health for 2 years. Following that, I worked 2 years as a Utilization Nurse for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I am exploring all options as to the direction I am going. I am concerned that Home Health agencies are more interested in RN's with acute care experience now? Should I try to get into a hospital first for about a year, then pursue Home Health? How hard is it to get work only 1 day per week (prn)? I will be homeschooling this year, my 2 children--so I need to be careful not to overdo it. My husband is 100% commission with the housing market--which isn't doing very well right now. Thanks for your input! I really need help! tashby40