Former nurses to return to healthcare after retraining in Bournemouth

Twenty-six former nurses are ready to rejoin to the health service after completing the Return to Nursing Practice programme at Bournemouth University.

The programme is run by the University every year so that nurses who left the profession can renew their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council having refreshed their skills and knowledge required for their role. The course is available to nurses specialising in adult, child and mental health care.

"Supporting nurses back onto the register is a most rewarding role as all returnees come with a richness of not only previous nursing experience but also experiences from having undertaken other careers," said Emma Böckle, Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Bournemouth University who leads the course.

"BU values supporting returnees back to the register to support our local health systems, bringing stability and their much-valued knowledge and skills to care for our local population," she added.

One of this year's cohort, Jo Pasker, originally qualified as a mental health nurse in 1999. Her registration lapsed ten years ago after she retrained as a complementary therapist. She will now be returning to the National Health Service at St Ann's Hospital in Poole, where she undertook a work placement during the course.

"Since 2019, I have worked in both adult and children's hospices as a commentary therapist, working closely with the nursing teams to support patients and families," Jo said. "This re-ignited my passion to nurse again, realising how much I'd loved it before and so I made the decision to complete the Return to Nursing Practice programme," she continued.

Over the six -month programme, students attend eight study days, including practical sessions in the University's simulation wards, as well as carrying out independent study for the assessments. They also complete a work placement in a healthcare setting.

"Former nurses bring a wealth of experience and skills on return to practice -contributing to improved patient care and confidence in the system and helping support newer staff," said Jo.

"With the current shortage of nurses and less people wanting to study nursing, Return to Practice nurses can only help ease this staffing crisis," she concluded.

The 2025 course begins in January and more information is available here.