nurses returning to work in droves; taking a closer look

8/7/2019 Nurses returning to work in droves; taking a closer look

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Nurses returning to work in droves; taking a closer look

by Back on the Career Track, on Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:17pm PDT

by Carol Fishman Cohen

In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Center for Interdisciplinary Health WorkforceStudies at Vanderbilt Universitys School of Nursing released a study about 2007-2008 nursing

employment patterns. Heres what caught my eye:

Many nurses who had left the field have re-entered the work force to compensate for a spouseslost income or health benefits, the study said. About half the increase over the [2007-2008]period came from nurses over age 50.

A look at the career paths of four relaunching nurses here in Newton, MA, where I live, will giveyou a sense of the wide range of possibilities open to returning nurses:

Jane, an operating room nurse who used to fly on medical helicopters bringing intransplant organs, returned as an elementary school nurse. She was concerned thisposition might feel like a big step down from her high level, high pressure previousnursing career, but that hasnt been the case. Jane is responsible for monitoring somevery complicated and serious health conditions among her students. She also saved astudents life by recognizing a child was in early stage, undiagnosed, diabetic shock, andmade sure he went directly to the emergency room.

Silvia, a hospital nurse who volunteered as a La Leche League leader while on careerbreak, returned to what she calls her dream job as a lactation consultant/nurse at amajor teaching hospital.

Diane, also a hospital nurse, returned to a corporate nursing agency. Nurses from thisagency go into companies and set up mini-clinics for administering flu shots anddispensing health information.

Sheila, formerly an obstetrics R.N., returned to a minimal part-time schedule byteaching a weekly childbirth class. She then went back to school to get a Masters innursing and certified as a nurse practitioner. She is now a nurse practitioner in privatepractice.

Formalized career reentry programming in all fields is a fairly new phenomenon, as most of thegrowth has occurred since 2004. Nursing reentry programs are no exception, as we havewitnessed the emergence of programs offered by employers, educational institutions, and

governments over the last few years. Here are four examples:

Northern Californias Sutter Healths New Grad/RN Re-entry Program combinesclassroom and clinical experiences to update nurses returning to acute care environments.

Online educator Nursing Knowledge International offers a Return to Nursing RefresherProgram. Seven units covering pharmacology, IV therapy, communication techniques,and care of the chronically ill, are included in this 40-60 hour program.
http://shine.yahoo.com/blog/Z2MKDE5UQ7YUKK4IHQLOD5RKBQ/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124477098713308767.html?mod=googlenews_wsjhttp://www.sutterhealth.org/nursing/nr_newgrads.htmlhttp://www.nursingknowledge.org/Portal/main.aspx?PageID=36&SKU=79526http://www.nursingknowledge.org/Portal/main.aspx?PageID=36&SKU=79526http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124477098713308767.html?mod=googlenews_wsjhttp://www.sutterhealth.org/nursing/nr_newgrads.htmlhttp://www.nursingknowledge.org/Portal/main.aspx?PageID=36&SKU=79526http://www.nursingknowledge.org/Portal/main.aspx?PageID=36&SKU=79526http://shine.yahoo.com/blog/Z2MKDE5UQ7YUKK4IHQLOD5RKBQ/


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Australia has introduced two government programs for returning nurses to help cope witha severe nursing shortage. The Royal College of Nursing National Nurse ReentryScheme is specifically for nurses whose registration has lapsed and/or who have notpracticed for 3 years or more. The Australian Governments Bringing Nurses Back Intothe Workforce program gives nurses returning after a leave of at least 12 months up to

$6,000 Australian in cash bonuses.

Some nurses on career break wonder how to stay connected when they have family or otherobligations that keep them from a full time work commitment. Heres how one nurse did it: Iwas lucky enough to add various jobs that worked around motherhood. I covered a shift [at thehospital where she used to work full time] every other week or so, and at one point I temporarilycovered one day a week for a couple of months until someone was hired for a position. I also didsome phone triage for pediatricians offices overnight. I would be nursing my daughter andanswering the beeper, talking to parents with sick children in the middle of the night.

The Vanderbilt study indicates the surge of first time entrants and re-entrants into the nursing

profession over the 2007-8 period helped ease but not eliminate the current nursing shortage.The study estimates a shortage of 260,000 nurses by 2020, demonstrating that nursing willremain an excellent career choice for the long term. Nurses on career break should not hesitate totake advantage of an online or employer updating program and start working on their relaunchimmediately!

(Originally posted as a Guest Blogfor the Sloan Work and Family Research Network.)

Image credit: http://cmsd.k12.pa.us/cmsd/cm_health/img/NURSE.png
http://www.rcna.org.au/scholarships/nsp_re-entryhttp://www.rcna.org.au/scholarships/nsp_re-entryhttp://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-nurse-back-nurshttp://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-nurse-back-nurshttp://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/nurses-returning-to-work-in-droves-taking-a-closer-lookhttp://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/nurses-returning-to-work-in-droves-taking-a-closer-lookhttp://www.rcna.org.au/scholarships/nsp_re-entryhttp://www.rcna.org.au/scholarships/nsp_re-entryhttp://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-nurse-back-nurshttp://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-nurse-back-nurshttp://wfnetwork.bc.edu/blog/nurses-returning-to-work-in-droves-taking-a-closer-look


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Carol Fishman CohenVivian Steir Rabin

Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin are the co-authors of the acclaimed career reentrybookBack on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work,and the co-founders ofiRelaunch, a company that produces career reentry programs, events, andcontent for employers, universities, organizations and individuals. Download our webinar onLinkedInfor Beginners. If youre on career break in the Tri-State area, register for our Career

Relaunch Forum October 29, 2009 at Seton Hall University in South Orange , NJ . Carol andVivian can be reached at [email protected] or follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/iRelaunch.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/nurses-returning-to-work-in-droves-taking-a-closer-look-492244/
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nurses returning to work in droves; taking a closer look

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