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Discussion

Reentry Program for Nurses

Hi guys! I have been out of work for eight months now due to my responsibilities as housewife and mother. I have a year of med-surg experience from an acute care hospital in a different state.I tried applying for a part-time job but the hospitals where I interviewed wanted someone who had a recent acute care experience.I guess my being out of circulation as an active RN has caused me quite a predicament. They also said that they are only entertaining RNs with acute care experience.So my plan to add more experience by working in a SNF /LTC has been shut out. Do I need to attend a reentry program for nurses just to be able to get hired again?Your inputs are greatly appreciated!:(

Featured Replies

  • Experts

8 months of being out of work should not require a refresher program, that is totally absurd. People take time off all of the time for different reasons and 8 months is not much at all.

I would look at other hospitals in your area, and not rely on what one place is telling you. But be aware that taking a job now in LTC will make it much harder for you to get back into the acute care setting.

Which part of the state are you located in?

  • Author

San Francisco Bay Area...

  • Experts

The Bay Area poses unique employment problems. However, anyone telling you that eight months is too long to be out of the mix is blowing smoke. Just keep looking elsewhere.

  • Author

:bow:Thanks so much guys! I am actually losing hope before I found this website.Thank God I found allnurses.com. The encouragements I received from Suzanne4 and caliotter3 gave me renewed strength to look further.:typing

Are there refresher programs in the SF Bay Area? I'm a Psych RN that would like to try something else in a few years.

hi there..speaking of refresher courses...is that required if an RN hasnt worked for several months or years? my last job here in PI was on may 2006 and i didnt worked til now. il be moving to cali before the year ends and ofcourse im planning to apply as an RN somewhere south

*i passed nclex last october

yes, there are refresher programs... st. joseph's in stockton has one... but only when they need the rn's. you have to keep at 'em to find out when the next one will be... they will likely keep telling you that they don't know when the next one will be.

http://www.americanhealtheducation.com/seriesprograms.html has a refresher course, but it doesn't have a clinical component. it is useless without one. some community colleges have them (check the brn website... but some are outdated). the ticket is that the course must have a clinical component or it will not be taken seriously by the employer... i know, i spent $'s on one and it was a waste of time (at least as far as getting employed).

i wish you luck!

so how much is a refresher course? how about the 'training" the hospital who'll get me? is that sort of a refresher?

  • Experts

All depends on the hospital that hires you, and if they will without having resonable current experience. Taking off for a year is still reasonable current expereince for me. Usually you see the refresher courses being used by someone that has been out of the field for five or more years but has a current license.

Passing of the NCLEX does not give one a license, and a current license with a license number is actually required to be able to take any course that has a clinical component.

The Bay Area is quite different from the rest of the state in many ways in the nursing field. You may wish to look at new grad programs, but they only start three times a year or a facility that has an orientation program but does not offer the new grad orientation. The hospitals mentioned above all use the new grad orientation and they are quite selective in whom they will accept to them. You may wish to look into some of the smaller facilities in your area.

Reentry Program for nurses. Try the local nursing schools and HR in the hospitals as well as the BON in your state. There are not that many programs because it is not enough students on a regular basis to keep many of them running hence, the prices for the ones that are still going. I agree clinicals are must. Look at www.nurseweek,com , www.advancefornurses.com If you can travel, there are several in our area: North Harris Community College, Professional Healthcare Education Service , Memorial Hermann, and San Jacinto Community College. Good luck!

Thank you for these posts. :up:I too will look into those programs. I'm willing to learn/update my skills and work in any nursing floor.

I have been out of nursing for nearly 2 years now. I'm trying to remain optimistic and proactive but... if I don't get a job by June, I'm going to switch paths and just go to grad school (Ph.D psychology program) instead. All I hear is 'crickets' out there these days...still waiting to hear back from a few hospitals and my job references are not calling the nursing manager back as requested. That is holding up my application at a certain hospital. I can't call my job references anymore to bug them about calling back the manager lest they think I am a stalker, haha. I have called 4 times today and e-mailed them as well.

Another day. We'll see.

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