Return to practice

Sorin Hotima qualified as a nurse in 1998 in Satu Mare, Romania and secured his first post at the Centre of Diagnosis and Treatment in Satu Mare.

After starting his career he had to move to the UK and was unable to register with the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) straight away, which resulted in a break in practice. 

He used the time to improve his English and undertook some care work.  Sorin then completed a Return to Practice course and is now back doing what he enjoys working in a nursing home caring for people with Dementia.

Sorin says of his experience – “I found the Return to Practice course very useful.  I had easy access to information and I found that the course and tutors were both very good.  Everyone was always available and willing to help and I feel the course was a really effective way to introduce me into the nursing practice in UK and allow me to continue doing what I enjoy – caring for people.”

Linda Kiddle originally trained in London in 1970 as a nurse.  However, like many people Linda put her career on hold to have a family and to raise her four young children.  She returned to work when her youngest started school and managed a residential care home.  In 1998 her registration had lapsed as she had not been employed as a nurse for some time.  She therefore worked in other roles linked to healthcare but not as a nurse. In 2007 Linda decided she would like to return to her nursing career and undertook a Strategic Health Authority funded return to practice course at Teesside University which she successfully completed.  Subsequent to the course and her re-registration as a RGN she has been appointed as a care coordinator in a local primary care trust. 

Linda says of her experience “Doing the return to practice course and holding down a full time job wasn’t easy but I enjoyed the challenge!  It was very different from my original training in 1970 but I felt happy to have completed the course and returned to the NHS.”

Having qualified as a nurse in 1985, I worked my way up to become a senior sister. I then became a rheumatology nurse specialist and decided to take a career break in 2001 after the birth of my second child.

After six years out of practice I commenced the return to practice course with Northumbria University in November 2006 with a view to becoming live once again on the professional register shortly after March 2007.

I found that the course design in anticipating the expectations of the practical role more than fulfilled the objectives of returning to practice. The group I was with came from an eclectic nursing background including mental health and learning disabilities nursing. I also found the course very valuable in support of my teaching skills and inter-professional working experience.

Having had three main career aspirations firstly of becoming a ward sister then nurse specialist in rheumatology I had always strived towards achieving a post within nurse education hence the post registration qualifications I had studied for.

Towards the end of my return to practice course a part-time senior lecturers post was advertised at Northumbria University. The course tutor who was aware that I wished to move into nurse education brought this to my attention and encouraged me to apply. Naturally, I felt very excited about what was an excellent opportunity to resume my career commensurate with my aspirations, experience and qualifications. However, I was also quite apprehensive after six years out of practice. Having expressed my apprehension to my tutor and husband I received a lot of reassurance and decided that filling out the application form would be good experience even if it went no further, and it would at least register my genuine interest.

You can imagine the mixture of emotions when I received the letter to say that I had an interview. I was excited and terrified all at once!  My interview was the first in the morning and that has to have been one of the longest days of my life waiting for the promised phone call. Late in the afternoon the phone rang and I was offered the post. I felt so proud at what I had achieved but still couldn’t believe it was true at the same time!

I would encourage anyone considering returning to nursing after a break to do so with confidence at what they can achieve. The anxieties are natural and it is easy to think that returning would be too difficult however the course itself and the excellent support and guidance you receive make the transition back into nursing a comfortable one.

• Northumbria University return to practice course information (pdf, 0.02MB)