**R.N. re-entry**

Hi, fellow nurses. I am new to the forum. 5 years ago my husbands company was doing very well, and we decided it was a good time for me to take early retirement. Shortly there after my stepdaughter moved in and I became a full time mom, wife and homemaker. Two months ago my husband asked for a divorce, which shocked me to my core. Once over the shock, I thought : well, at least I have a good profession to fall back on. I have 15 yrs of ER experience in a level I trauma center, and hearing of the nursing shortage, I believed it would be easy to return to work...and I'm sure if I hadn't let my license lapse, or gone back to work before the 4 year limit, it may have been.
To my horror, I found out there is quite a lot of paperwork and hours of didactic study as well as 160 hours of 1:1 precepted observation...to make matters worse: there are very few hospitals willing to or even aware of the protocol for re-entry. What I found out was that here in Atlanta, GA our local college: Kennesaw State is the only re-entry program and that all local hospitals use that program as the backbone to hiring re-entry nurses! Here it is mid July, I register, send in my application and deposit (the class cost is $1985.00 in total) and to start in September...I am then informed that the website had not been updated and that the class was full! Is this not a sob story or what??? The next class starts in December, 4 months from now and here I am in the middle of a divorce that came as a shock to me. I even wrote a letter to the director of the class, explaining my need to get into the Sept. class to no avail (I'm sure she can't wait to meet me!). The moral of the story...if you've left nursing to take a break or be an at home mom: make sure , you not only renew your license every other year, but that you do not allow more than 3 yrs and 11 months to go by without practicing as a nurse for 300 hours...or you may have a sob story to equal mine!
I am still trying to sell myself to a hospital, telling them that I will be responsible for the didactic study (40 hrs.) and responsible for all my paperwork, having it notarized and returning it to the board, but this seems to be a dead end as well. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!!