Hi, I also am having no end of trouble trying to get re-rego'ed with APRHA. I was general hospital trained back in 1987-88 and worked for many years as an EN in acute areas I haven't had a practicing Certificate since 2004. I'm getting the same response from APRHA to re-train from the start. This is stupid to me, as I don't believe you ever loose your basic skills. Now don't get me wrong I would be the first one to say I need a refresher to bring me up to date with the current level of training, but to start from the beginning is stupid!
We are in need of experienced nurses that now how to give basic care (something that doesn't seem to be taught in the TAFE and UNI's nowadays) if you've been a patient in hospital in the last 10 years or so.
I have sent a letter to the minister for health complaining about the lack of re-training courses for Enrolled Nurses DIV 2 it seems the only RTO (registered training organisations) that offer RPL (recognition of prior learning) are the Universities and only if you are willing to re-train as a DIV 1 RN.
We should have courses for EN DIV2 that had been out for an extended length of time to return to nursing. There are a few courses offered for EN's but only if you have been out of an acute setting for a short period of time and then these courses are run so infrequently there almost impossible to get into.
We are in a profession that a large number of us take an extended break in the middle of our career for family reasons etc...
I would think that the governments would encourage older nurses to return to work but it seems that the current thinking is just to trow us away.
I would encourage all EN DIV 2's to write to the minister for health to try and stop this trend and allow nurses that want to work, work.
At present the only option for me is to try and get a job in a nursing home as a PCA and even that isn't easy as most places want PCA's with a cert. 3
I have always considered myself to be a Nurse even when I was having time out of the work force for family commitments I always identified myself as a nurse although not work at the present time.
When I have applied for non nursing jobs they have always said, oh you'll be returning to nursing as it will pay better, they don't understand the government make it almost impossible at the moment for us to return to a job we love.
I live in Melbourne, Victoria, I wish we still had the old VNC to govern our registration. It seems they got nurses, nursing in a lot less time and with a lot less trouble.
I would like to say if your still registered or know of someone wanting to take a break or like me are wanting to return to nursing contact the minister for health and let him know we are here willing to work but due to silly rules and lack of re-training we can't.
Thanks. (if anyone knows how to get re-rego'ed thru APRHA please let me know)
