How to keep up with nursing while inactive "Inactive" nursing status means only that a registered nurse is not getting paid. While she is inactive, she can-and should-stay both "in" and "active" in her profession.

How can a nurse who is not working keep current with the increasing changes in nursing practice? That's a tough question. Leaving the field even temporarily brings new responsibilities. The nurse must learn new roles and pursue new interests and still keep in touch with basic nursing.

Fortunately, nursing is a career that transfers readily to many of those new roles and interests. For example, the role of mother and homemaker encompasses many careers, and one of them is certainly

Leonore L Macllraith Janda, RN, is a stu- dent in the baccalaureate nursing program at the University of Dubuque (Iowa). She is a graduate of the Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing, Oakland, Calif.

@ Speak out

nursing. The family structure invites the ap- plication of a wide range of nursing skills- from pediatrics to geriatrics.

You can also keep in touch by reading magazines and journals. Some are geared to general nursing, while others cater to specialty practices. Depending on your interests, you might want to subscribe to one of each type. Before subscribing, take the time to read through a variety of them at a local medical library. The hospital nearest you will probably allow you to browse in its library, although you may not be permitted to check out materials.

Make sure your time in your community is as valuable to your profession as your time in your home. Commit yourself to your activities-rather than being volunteered by others. Your self-interest and motivation are vital to the success of every activity you undertake.

Your nursing interests may lead you to another sure way to remain in contact with nursing: joining professional nursing organi- zations. You need not be on active status to belong. Many organizations allow for an inactive status. The American Nurses' As- sociation even grants inactive nurses a re- duction in fees. Although you may not be eligible to hold an elected office, there are few other restrictions on how you may par- ticipate.' You can vote, head committees, work on special projects, be a spokesman, and contribute original ideas.

You will find your nursing input is valued by many service groups and organizations in your community. You will find that your professional opinions are appreciated and needed by almost any organization that deals with people and their problems. Con-

976 AORN Journal, April 1981, Vol33, No 5

sider volunteering for such groups as the United Fund, Red Cross, March of Dimes, YMCA, YWCA, Scout councils, 4-H, recrea- tion programs, child abuse projects, Neighborhood Watch, hospital and medical auxiliaries, schools, and the League of Women Voters.

Your formal training should keep pace with your informal nursing activities. Continuing education is often required to maintain licen- sure in nursing. Many states allow a person to select an inactive license and be freed of the financial and scholastic obligations of obtain- ing continuing education units (CEUs). This inactive license may seem tempting, but I ad- vise against it. It is much easier to return to work if you have kept your license current. The requisite refresher courses that accompany a switch from inactive to active status are cer- tainly beneficial, but you can gain those same benefits-and probably learn more thor- oughly-if you spread them out. Either way, you will have to show competency before you return to work. Surely it is easier to do that at a leisurely pace than to add coping with classes to the stress of returning to work.

Whether we seek CEUs because our state requires them or because we expect our state to start requiring them, we become consumers of continuing education. That position carries responsibility. it is our job to select the classes and workshops that are most beneficial. I like to see a summary of the offering, a statement of its objectives, and a background on the pre- senting faculty. I see no reason to attend an offering by someone not actively involved in the field they purport to represent. 1 recom- mend that those who attend classes and work- shops write critiques of their experiences. These critiques should state whether or not the courses’ stated criteria were met. Such critiques can help maintain quality programs and contribute to the elimination of inadequate offerings.

With the proposal that professional nurses entering nursing be trained at the baccalaureate in nursing science (BSN) level by 1985, academic courses are be- coming a popular option. An occasional academic class may be of benefit if you decide someday to pursue the BSN.

If you have used your home life, commu- nity life, and educational opportunities to

keep yourself both “in” and “active,” you will want your resume to reflect this. The best way is to change it from an “employ- ment biography” to a “functional resum&” A functional resume includes the standard educational and employment history, but also contains related activities, volunteer work, community work, and “whatever else you do with yourself that will portray to your prospective employer the type of person that you are.”2 Compile your resume as you gain your experiences; keep it current and keep it chronological. Your functional resume will display your dependability and leadership abilities when you reenter the working world.

The activities you undertake during your inactive period that directly or indirectly in- volve nursing can raise your professional status and confidence and ease your reen- try into active nursing.

Leonore L Macllraith Janda, RN Mason City, Iowa

Notes 1 . Caroline Rogers, “Active vs associate

AORN membership.” AORN Journal 22 (October

2. Fay N Zachary, June R Grace, “If you ever need to return to nursing, here’s how,“ RN 38 (September 1975) 105.

1975) 567-571.

Scholarship application will be once a year Beginning this June, the AORN Scholarship Board will meet only once annually to conduct committee business and to make scholarship selections. This means there will be one application deadline per year-June 1.

In previous years, there were two application deadlines-one in June and another in January.

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