Returning to Nursing: What to Consider
If in the past you were a nurse and then you decided to stop and to try something else – it might have been to raise a family, to help out in the family business, to go travelling, or anything else – you might now, at a later stage of life, be considering going back to your original choice, and what might be your calling in terms of your career and your life.
If this is the case, there is a lot to consider, but equally, there are many benefits to getting back into nursing. You will need to weigh the former up against the latter and decide what the right route for you is. If you need help in this regard and want to know just what the considerations are when it comes to returning to nursing after a break – whether long or short – then keep reading as we will outline the main ones below.
Table of Contents
Returning to Nursing: What to Consider
Fear of Change
Sometimes you might feel nervous about returning to school to continue your studies or improve your nursing qualifications. The longer you have been away, the more concerning this might be to the point where you decide it’s not worth the fear and you don’t do what, in your heart, you want to do.
The fear of change is a significant issue that causes problems for lots of different people, but it is something that, if you truly do want to be a nurse again, you will need to deal with in whichever ways suits you. This might be talking to friends and family, or even a therapist(1), and understanding what it is you are most worried about. Or you might get in touch with a good college, one where you are considering taking up your studies again, to find out more about the course. The more you know about what you are heading into and how you might need to change your usual routines, the less nervous you will be.
For many, learning online will help to reduce their fears. Although they will still be learning all the information they need, they will be able to do so in a comfortable space surrounded by their familiar things. This will make learning much easier, and your routine won’t be quite so disrupted.
Read: Home Health Care
More Money
One of the major factors to consider when it comes to deciding whether to return to nursing (and therefore to return to nursing studies) is the money. If you haven’t been working because you took time out to care for your family, then getting back to work in your nursing career is going to be extremely important. It will enhance the income of your household and hopefully make things easier for everyone. Of course, choosing to go back to nursing shouldn’t be all about money, but it is something that you will need to think about.
This is even more important if going back to nursing is going to reduce the amount of money your household can bring in. There will be the time needed to study, for example, although if you study online, then you can continue working. Then there is the salary itself; will it be more or less than you are earning now? If it is going to be less, will it have a major impact on your life, or will you be able to manage? In most cases, your happiness is going to be more important than earning a huge amount of money, so bear this in mind.
