And Your Career Carrie Farella, RN Returning to nursing after a long absence can be overwhelming. Whether you have left nursing to raise a family or to try a new career path, getting back into shape professionally will require time and patience.
Most schools sponsoring approved nursing practice update courses are two-year colleges.
Their programs are divided between classroom and clinical rotation. Depending on the flexibility of the school, the clinical area may be predesignated or students may have a choice, such as an area of previous expertise or a field yet unexplored. The program was an answer to the problem of reeducating inactive nurses in a large, rural state, where attending classes regularly would be difficult. Not only does the course emphasize and review previous education, it incorporates current practice and helps nurses apply newly learned information after graduation. Designed as 12 self-study modules, including nursing concepts, body systems, and the nursing process, the content of the program has grown to encompass hospice and home care topics.