Nursing Schools News Blog

Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association in California has an innovative new program to help get nurses who are not currently practicing, back into the profession.  You don’t see this kind of program for computer programmers or for plumbers.  Nursing is a really hot field:

Livingston conceived the re-entry program as a way to bring people back into the profession at a time when nurses are in short supply. The agency’s open houses for prospective nurses would draw people who had been out of the field for several years but were interested in finding a way back in, said Agnes Padernal, the internship program’s instructor.

Livingston conducted a survey of nurses not currently working and determined that a part-time program that included a refresher course on clinical skills and time in the field with a preceptor, or mentor nurse, would be the best way to go. The program already has a waiting list, Padernal said.

To be eligible for the Livingston program, nurses need a current license and must commit to working at least part time in hospice or home-care nursing for a year after they complete the internship. Home care and hospice are ideal fields for experienced nurses because the job requires a lot of independent work and decision-making.