Returning to practice as a nurse
We understand that when your circumstances in life change, so do your careers plans. Whether you’ve taken time away to care for a loved one, start your own family or just needed a break from healthcare, we can help you find your way back through our return to practice programme.
We are very supportive of nurses and allied health professionals (AHP) wishing to return to practice and would love to support you on this journey.
We are keen to support you on your journey back, either by:
- Employment route, in which you will be offered employment whilst you undertake the course or complete the Test of Competence
- Providing clinical placements, for Return to Practice Course
How it works
How you re-join the register depends on how long you’ve been away and how many practice hours you completed before you left.
If you’ve completed 450 hours of registered practice in the last three years, or 750 hours of registered practice in the last five years, you can apply to re-join the register right away.
Visit the Nursing & Midwifery Council website to read about re-joining the register (opens new browser tab)
If you’re not quite there, don’t worry. We can help you apply for a return to practice programme to practice course at one of our local Thames Valley universities. These can take between three to 12 months to complete and involve a work placement to help you build up your practice hours.
Read more about the return to nursing programme on the health careers website (opens new browser tab)
And it’s easy to fund your course – Health Education Thames Valley will cover your university fees.
Once you’ve completed your course and re-joined the register, we’ll upgrade your placement into a full-time position within one of our services.
Local Thames Valley universities
Take a look at our local universities to find a return-to-work course that's right for you.
| University | Delivery | Intake | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Brighton | Online | September to February | G.Whittaker@brighton.ac.uk |
| University of Plymouth | Online | September to February | Adele.Kane@plymouth.ac.uk |
| University of Hertfordshire | Blended | September to January | Y.Boamah@herts.ac.uk |
| University of Northampton | Blended | February to May | Ros.Wray@northampton.ac.uk |
If you’re looking to restart your career as an Allied Health Professional, you’ll need to re-join the register through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Visit the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) website to re-join the register (opens new browser tab)
Visit the Health Education England website to read more about returning to practice (opens new browser tab)
Depending on how long you’ve been away, you might need to take on a work placement, join a return to work course or do your own independent study to update your skills and knowledge.
- If you’ve been out of practice for less than two years you can re-join right away
- If you’ve been out of practice for two to five years then you need to spend 30 days updating your skills and knowledge
- If you’ve been out of practice for five years or more then you need to spend 60 days updating your skills and knowledge
Whether you decide to take on a work placement in one of our services or go on a return to practice course at a local university (don’t worry - we can help you find funding for this), get in touch with our Learning Environment Lead, and we’ll help you start your journey back into work.
Contact us
Get in touch with our learning environment team to start your journey back into practice today.
Email LearningEnvironmentLeads@berkshire.nhs.uk
Use our online expression of interest form to start your journey (opens new browser tab)
Scan the QR code to go to our online form
