asims646

Hello fellow nurses! I am looking for advice about how to be hired "back" into the clinical setting as a RN. I have my BSN and my RN license is current, active, and unrestricted. To make a long story short, I graduated nursing school with a 4.0, was accepted into a residency program, but then about a month later I had to quit my job and tend to my severe anxiety, depression, and eating disorder (all of which are stable or in remission). I had odd jobs here and there, some in a nursing position and some not (2012-2015). From 2016-2017 I worked as a school nurse for a private school. This job was amazing and I loved every minute of it. However, due to a "business decision," I had to be let go after a year. The school had 3 part-time nurses and I was chosen because I had the least amount of tenure (even though just promoted and set to become nurse manager) and no child enrolled in the school. It broke my heart. From 2017-2018 I did not work and took time to just process everything. I really miss nursing but cannot find a job. I do not know what to do and I think that as more time passes not working as a nurse, the less likely I am to be hired as a nurse. Does anyone have advice or a similar situation? I just don't know what to do.

Hey there, First of all, thank you for reading my post. Any reply is greatly appreciated! I graduated in 2012 from nursing school. I had a 4.0 and received many awards for my compassionate care and commitment to the nursing profession. However, a storm was brewing inside of me. I have struggled greatly with anorexia, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks since I was in junior high school. During my time in college, these issues exponentially worsened. But, I was determined to become a nurse and provide high quality compassionate care to individuals. After graduating, I began working at a wonderful, highly regarded hospital on the cardiovascular telemetry floor. I was performing well, learning, and really enjoying the staff I worked with. However, the previous mentioned problems were worsening. I lasted two months at my job and had to resign due to these problems. Two months later I found myself in residential treatment for anorexia. Currently, I am still receiving therapy, nutritional counseling, and psychiatric support. I have made much progress. Since 2012 I have been a private tutor for nursing students. I assist students with understanding material for pretty much any nursing class, including entrance exams and the NCLEX-RN. However, I am truly missing the hands on nursing care. Although nursing knowledge is fresh on my mind, I feel like I have ruined any opportunity to work as a nurse providing direct patient care. How do I approach getting back into the nursing field? Am I too late? Has anyone else gone through something similar? Thank you