Re-entry into the field

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i am interested in hearing about the experience of any of you who returned to the nursing field after a significant absence.

i quit nursing about 7 years ago to be a sahm. i kept my license up for the first few years, but then decided that most likely would not return to the workforce, so my license ended up becoming inactive.

i now have the need to return to work. i have spoken with the state board to see what is necessary to bring my lvn license back up to par. i was quite surprised that i will not have to sit for the boards again. however, i am very nervous about taking the required lvn refresher course and accompanying clinical skills as i feel very rusty. (not to mention the fact that having 3 children seems to have sucked every bit of book knowledge out of my head!)

who here has gone through a refresher and has reentered the field? what your take on the course itself? do you feel like it prepared you well and helped you rehone your skills? i am particularly interested in hearing from someone in texas. i am planning on taking my refresher at a houston-area hospital.

thank for any advice or insight you might can offer!

take care!

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

I am not a nurse but do want to wish you the best. Congrats on returning to the field and welcome to the site. :)

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I've worked with LPN's who were in your position. They said the main thing was to remember that things change and to ask lots of questions. You'll be surprized at how much you do remember once you get back into the flow of things.

Having said all that, don't go around asking new grads how much they are making and then complain that you are on the same wages. We had one return who bit*hed and whined that she was on the same money, our shop steward pointed out that her seniority was gone, she'd spend five years at home with her children, something that a few of the new grads hadn't been able to do. She soon dropped that complaint.

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I've worked with LPN's who were in your position. They said the main thing was to remember that things change and to ask lots of questions. You'll be surprized at how much you do remember once you get back into the flow of things.

Having said all that, don't go around asking new grads how much they are making and then complain that you are on the same wages. We had one return who bit*hed and whined that she was on the same money, our shop steward pointed out that her seniority was gone, she'd spend five years at home with her children, something that a few of the new grads hadn't been able to do. She soon dropped that complaint.

I will be sure to ask LOTS of questions!

I can't imagine someone compairing their wages to a new grads.....after being home these many years and not having any of my own money (but that's a whole 'nother story!), I'm just going to be glad to have the independence that working outside the home again is going to afford me!!!!

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I am glad to see your question, because I will also be returning to the nursing field. My situation is a little different then yours, I have been living in Asia for the last 5 1/2 years. I will be returning to the states next year. I have kept up with general nursing, because I have had to do some medical work in villages & have had to do CEU's to retain my license. I do hope that returning to the states & the nursing field will not be a problem. Good luck to you.

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I went back into nursing after having been out 7 years. At the time, my state didn't have any refresher courses. Fortunately, I wasn't too far from a state that did (the pay was a lot lower then offered in my state, but I was happy to get the job). I started work on a floor that had post-partum one side, med surg the other. The post partum hadn't changed hardly at all from what I remembered, the med-surg though was a lot different. This hospital refresher course, was not any classes, but 2 weeks of simply following around another nurse and re-learning things, another couple of weeks of gradually increased patients, from two to four, with LOTS of feedback on my learning and one preceptor only. It was a wonderful experience and I was also allowed to borrow/check out some med books from the floor to increase my knowledge. The total time for refresher was 3 months, after that my pay increased to a regular hire (still lower then my state offered however). I continued to work there for 1/1/2 years, but with the long drive and decreased pay, decided to get a job in my own state.

A few years later I was in charge of a refresher course through the Nursing Ed dept of the hospital I worked at. That course involved also a gradual learning experience with one preceptor and lots of feedback. I think the time element a lot depended on the comfort level of the nurse that is coming back into the job. There's a lot of information on preceptorship and refresher courses on the web also (sorry, I no longer have the links). I would say the most important thing are feedback with all, and go ahead and ask those questions! Good luck!

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I feel a little bit nervous to be honest. I will be taking my refresher starting Sept 8th here. The class is limited to only 15 people, but so far only 6 or 7 have signed up. I really feel if they would either lower the cost (a little over $800) or allow people to make payments (since the class is till December), maybe more interested former nurses will try to take the class. Personally, I really am looking forward to it. I miss nursing very much, but I am very scared of all of the things I have missed (been out of it for approx. 10 years) and constantly worry if I will be able to retain all of it.

I will let you know (pm me if you want to) how the class goes. I wish everybody that is considering nursing (whether first time or coming back) a happy and bright future.

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Hi, I too, have been away from nursing for a while, 6 years from the nursing home, but, i was doing home care, i am presently back to the nursing home that i was working at. It is coming back to me. I do however have a question. When administering insulin at the prescribed time, and glucose testing merits the adminstration of a coverage dose of Regular insulin, at the same time , do i administer the insulin and the coverage at the same time?

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Hello,

I too am wanting to return to nursing after 14 years! I am an RN & my liscense expired as well. What part of Houston will you be working? I am in The Woodlands & hope to find something close by.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I would like to know if there are any refresher courses here in New York, and if they are available to those that just want to review the course in general. I don't think that we left equipped to work in nursing from my school...they prepared my class for the boards, yes, but, my orientation was not the best. I'd love to sit with a small group of people to review skills on my own time. I find myself reading more now that I am finished with school because I have time to take it all in rather than rush, just to take an exam. I recently got my license in June, and am working, but am finding my way around. I would feel that a course like this would be a great help because I'd have a list of questions about the recent things I have seen and now have gained a better appreciation for what I tried to learn under adverse and stressed circumstances.

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