Workforce Development RN Refresher Program
Landing a Dream Job after a 19-Year Employment Gap
“CCM really knows how to get things done. Relying on their resources, you are constantly being motivated to succeed, which was a huge confidence builder.”
Debbie McGinn (l) talks with Rosemary Grant, associate director of Career Services.
When Debbie McGinn, of Hackettstown, decided to resume her nursing career after being a stay-at-home mom for 19 years, she turned to County College of Morris (CCM) and enrolled in the RN Refresher Program. Offered through the college’s Center for Workforce Development, the program provided her with the confidence and updated training she needed to step back into the field. Even more than that, she found at CCM the resources that helped her to land the “perfect job.”
McGinn explains, “I had a gap in my work history that you could drive a truck through. I also had never put together a resume; I had no idea where to start.”
She recalled that during orientation, she and her classmates learned that all college services were available to them even though they were not degree-seeking students. So, she visited the Career Services office where she met Associate Director Rosemary Grant.
“From the get go, Rosemary told me my work history was not going to be a problem. She even turned my stay-at-home experience into highly desirable skills.”
The assistance she received, McGinn says, was the same caliber of her classroom and clinical training in the refresher course.
“The hands-on experiences really brought home that I knew what I was doing,” she says. “In the classroom, the professors also provided constant reassurance that, ‘You did this before and you know this,’ as they weaved in the changes that had taken place while we were out of the field. “CCM really knows how to get things done. Relying on their resources, you are constantly being motivated to succeed, which was a huge confidence builder.”
With a solid resume in hand and the training in interviewing and negotiating Grant provided, McGinn obtained the first position she interviewed for as a clinical nurse liaison with a rehabilitation center. The work involved working with patients, scheduling special events for seniors and marketing the center’s services. Having previously worked as an ICU nurse and then in pharmaceutical sales, the position was an ideal match for her.
“I felt so very blessed to be doing what I was doing. Every day was a challenge.”
After 10 years in that role, she saw the need to reassess her career direction. Now she’s getting back to her original goals in nursing; using her nursing knowledge and life experience in a position to have a positive impact on the lives of others. Once again, she turned to CCM to help her access her options.
“There’s lots of help available at CCM. You just have to take that first step and ask for help”, she says. “Once you do, things start falling into place.”