Thinking of doing my return to practice course (RGN) anyone else done one? Did you go on to get a family friendly post?

[McDreamy]

Toying with the idea of returning to nursing. Have had a 7 year break and after 3 children wondering if it is time to go back in. I think allowing my registration to expire was not a sensible decision however I did so this is the only way back. Anyone any experience of a RTP course? Did you go on to get a family friendly job?

Bump

Hi I have just got my PIN back after doing the Return to Practice course at Bournemouth Uni.

I have got a job on the ward I did my placement on, which is an elderly rehab ward in a local community hospital. Not my ideal job but a means to an end. I eventually want to get back into acute nursing . Is it family friendly - well it's just normal nursing shifts , earlys and lates.

The course took from last may and I finished it october- got PIN january.

In hindsight I wishI had done the course at an acute hopsital. The trust I did it with didn't pay me for my practice hours of which I had to do 120 of.
Most people on the course were paid band 3 for their practice hours so that grated a bit.

Hope that helps. Where abouts are you?

I'm in Wiltshire. There's a community hospital opposite the DC's school and the course would be run by Oxford Brookes which has a campus in Swindon. I don't really want to go back to working on the wards though. Was thinking more along the lines of practice nursing/district nursing. My speciality is Infection Control so before I gave up I hadn't been ward based for along time.

friend got a job as community nurse after the course, she had previously been midwife/rgn

. Quite a few nurses in the community hospital I work go on to jobs in GP practices or on community

How long had you been out of practice? I am still registered because I just scraped through on hours in 2009. But I haven't practiced since May 2007, and haven't done acute nursing since August 2006 (I moved from NICU to outpatients).

The thing is, I only did 2 years acute nursing post-registration, then had a year off on ML, then a year of outpatients, then resigned as I had 3 under 4 and the eldest has SN.

So although I only have to accrue 450 hours before September 2012, I am not sure I am confident to just walk back into say agency work, where they would expect me to hit the ward running. I know I am capable (first job was neuro theatres, so very acute), but could do with a confidence boost.

That's how I would see it Lou as my confidence would be rock bottom. I have been out of practice for 7 years now.

Make sure you get a placement in an acute setting if you want to get back to acute.
Could kick myself now as I don't know how to get some acute experience and now I am stuck in primary care

yes