Didn't get hired! Should I take a refresher course?

[Kgrela89]

So I graduated with my Bsn in May 2014 and long story short took some time off for my kids. Big mistake when I look back but the past is the past. It's August 2017 and I get a interview at a rehab facility. I get there and the I know the girl at the front desk. She's an old friend of a friend. She said she's the coordinator and can get me a good shift. Woah I'm excited at that point. Anywho lol in the interview I get asked about why I wasn't working in my field and I answer honestly. The DON tells me that's it's probably not a good fit since I propably forgot all my skills and they are taking more and more complex patients. She also tells me that they don't have a formal orientation just 2-3 weeks of shadowing a nurse and then I'm on my own. Somehow I feel I dodged a bullet. But one thing that gets me is that no where on the job listing did it say anything about experience. Actually just said Bsn preferred. Hmmmm I guess I just have to keep looking for someone willing to train and orient properly and invest time and money in me. That sounds easy enough right. Anyone else in the same boat. The local community college dropped their refresher course but from previous posts I dunno if it's what I needed. Most other ones say out of nursing for 5 or more years anyway. What to do next?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

It sounds like the job market in your area is an employer's market, if so, employers are not likely to hire a stale grad with no experience, when they can hire experienced nurses or fresh grads. You can keep looking and see if you can find an employer who is willing to invest time and money into you, but you should also be prepared to do the refresher course to get an employer to consider hiring you. You can look on your BON's website to find schools that have approved refresher programs.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

The local community college dropped their refresher course but from previous posts I dunno if it's what I needed. Most other ones say out of nursing for 5 or more years anyway. What to do next?

Yeah, but you were never "in" nursing to begin with and now have an over 3 year gap between your education and now, with NO practical experience. If you are serious about working, I'd try to find a refresher that includes clinical hours with a preceptor. Once you have that and a very good reference in hand, you may find it easier to get your foot in the door somewhere. And still, you will need a pretty good orientation.

If you do manage to land something without a refresher, be sure to insist on a very extensive orientation with an experienced preceptor.

Good luck.

[Kgrela89]

Thanks for the advice ! I just feel like after nursing school one still doesn't know everything and skills are easy to relearn once they have been learned well before. I guess your right that the market is not in my favor right now. I'm not going to let all this discourage my search because I love Nursing, and I know I will be a great nurse in practice someday, I feel like I'm punished for taking time for family. Yes I'm sure I could have done it differently but it's worth spending all this time with my babies.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Thanks for the advice ! I just feel like after nursing school one still doesn't know everything and skills are easy to relearn once they have been learned well before. I guess your right that the market is not in my favor right now. I'm not going to let all this discourage my search because I love Nursing, and I know I will be a great nurse in practice someday, I feel like I'm punished for taking time for family. Yes I'm sure I could have done it differently but it's worth spending all this time with my babies.

No one is trying to "punish" you. Hiring managers are simply trying to find the best nurses for their units. If a manager is choosing between a nurse with years of relevant experience and good references from former supervisors vs. a nurse not only with no experience whatsoever, but who is also 3 years removed from finishing school and passing NCLEX, it's just a very easy, obvious choice for that manager.

You chose your family over your career, which was certainly your right. Many of us have made similar choices. But our decisions always come with consequences, not all of them to our liking.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

Thanks for the advice ! I just feel like after nursing school one still doesn't know everything and skills are easy to relearn once they have been learned well before.

I would argue that as a fresh new grad, you have very little skill to "relearn;" what you have is a fresh base upon which to start. Because you have been out of nursing school for so long, I'd say that you have very little to offer at this juncture. A refresher course would help; current certs would help; working as a TA for the nursing school would help; enrolling in a master's program would help.

I feel like I'm punished for taking time for family.

You're not being punished; nobody cares enough to punish you. You are, though, experiencing the consequences of your decision.

Yes I'm sure I could have done it differently but it's worth spending all this time with my babies.

Well there you go; it was worth it to you. Fantastic. You made a choice based on your personal values which is great. You did, though, make a choice which deprioritized your career and you're going to be facing an uphill battle now that you've decided to prioritize it.