But last year’s Covid-19 outbreak solidified her desire to retrain, and give back.
Mrs Perkins (49), of Raes Junction, took an 18-year break from nursing while she had children and worked as a yoga teacher.
"I always sort of thought I’d go back to nursing, because I loved it."
After last year’s pandemic outbreak, she decided she wanted to put her hard-earned skills to good use.
After contacting the Nursing Council and confirming she was still eligible to renew her practising certificate, she enrolled at Otago Polytechnic.
She undertook the eight-week competency assessment programme in March.
Demand for nurses is high, and she was able to get two days of work a week at the Dunedin North Medical Centre.
It means a long commute from Central Otago, and two days a week away from home.
While some aspects of the job had changed, the basic nature of nursing had not, she said.
"That came back quite quickly.
"With Covid, that’s been challenging, but it also feels really good to feel like I’m in the right place again. I feel like I can help."
While the clinic was not offering vaccinations, she had completed certification to become a vaccinator and had offered her services to practices in Raes Junction as well.
She encouraged other nurses who had left the profession to consider renewing their practising certificates.
"I think a lot of people are scared, and I know I was at the start.
"But there’s a real need, and you don’t lose those skills."
Polytechnic health college head Ian Crabtree said the polytechnic had run a competency assessment programme for international nurses seeking registration in New Zealand, as well as domestic nurses seeking to return to practice, for more than 10 years.
"We have always delivered this on the premise that our students on completion would continue to stay and work local and hopefully be employed by many of our local partners, which is ultimately what has happened over many years.
"The success of the programme is mainly 100% and the areas that recruit these nurses speak extremely highly of the calibre of these nurses."
With the combination of the pandemic and a nursing shortage, it was even more important to attract nurses to the programme, he said.
