The elephant in the room

[Kssrn404]

I am an RN,BSN with 9 years cardiovascular recovery experience in a 8-16 bed unit.

I had to leave nursing to stay at home with three young children. Two of which had severe asthma and were in and out of the hospital especially when I placed them in daycare ( suppressed immune systems). I was spending more than I could make on daycare ( 3 kids) and medical bills not to mention how run down I was becoming trying to work 12 hr shifts in a tough unit. Now they are older and independent and I'm trying to get a job. I completed a full semester in a refresher course with clinical hours too. Everyone asks " why did you leave nursing". I have an interview next week and I know it will come up. How should I answer this question? I also believe that raising children is one of the most important jobs out there and I'm not ashamed that I did it. Help......

[pixiestudent2]

I would say that, you stayed at home with your kids, and now that they are older and independent you're ready to get back to work.

[Atl-Murse]

Over 90 % of Nurses are females, most have been in your shoes. I am sure they will understand your situation. Now go make that money

[RNperdiem, RN]

Nursing has a large female population, and I believe it to be more tolerant of gaps in the resume. Lots of us have had kids and many of us took time off when we needed to. Nothing wrong with the truth in this case.

[enuf_already]

What's wrong with the truth? You could say you were afforded the opportunity to be a stay at home mom but you always missed and planned to go back to nursing. Now that your children are independent, you want to fulfill that goal, have prepared yourself by taking a refresher course with clinicals, and are excited to have the opportunity to contribute and make a difference for patients.

[Channabanana]

Say " I did not leave nursing; due to the health of my children, all of whom had complications with asthma, I had to take a temporary leave of absence from work."

[JustMeRN]

The truth without too many details is good. My children had a difficult time with being sick while in daycare and it cost more in medical bills than I was making. They needed me at home and we couldn't afford for me not to be. Now that they are older and stronger it's time for me to get my career back on track.

Good luck.

[Kssrn404]

Just got hired to work in CVR! My position: being a mother is one of the most important jobs one could hold. ( I also completed a refresher course for a whole semester lol). Thanks for the replyí ½í¸‰

[nutella, MSN, RN]

I think it is very acceptable to say "I raised my three children and focused on my family - now I am focusing on my career". Just be prepared to mention that you have back up plans in case a child gets sick. You could slip that in casually to make sure they understand you are not going to call out sick when a child has a cold.