License Renewal question

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Hi nurses, and thanks in advance for your help. I've written to my board of nursing about this and while waiting, I thought I would ask the same question here.

I am due to renew my license this coming October. I graduated with my ASN in 2008 but I have not worked as an RN since 2011, so it's been over 5 years. From Aug. 2015-May 2016, I was in school full-time to complete my BSN and just finished:) woo hoo! But, my question is this, do I need to take an RN refresher course to renew my license now?

I have not worked b/c I had 2 kids and moved 4 times in the last 5 years(my husband is in the Army). In my state(NE), their renewal criteria states that I either need 500 hours of work(don't have that), must have graduated from a school of nursing in the last 2 years, or need a RN Refresher Course...

So, does my last year of school that I just completed count as a nursing program(I'm hoping it does)? I definitely took nursing courses, including Assessment plus completed over 200 clinical hours. Or, do you think I need to take an RN refresher course?

Thanks for any input or advice you have!

Thanks for your response. I heard from the BON. They said my BSN does not count and I will need to take a refresher. I'm disappointed...

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

That's the same situation in my state. Education does not count as practice.

Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
Hi nurses, and thanks in advance for your help. I've written to my board of nursing about this and while waiting, I thought I would ask the same question here.

I am due to renew my license this coming October. I graduated with my ASN in 2008 but I have not worked as an RN since 2011, so it's been over 5 years. From Aug. 2015-May 2016, I was in school full-time to complete my BSN and just finished:) woo hoo! But, my question is this, do I need to take an RN refresher course to renew my license now?

I have not worked b/c I had 2 kids and moved 4 times in the last 5 years(my husband is in the Army). In my state(NE), their renewal criteria states that I either need 500 hours of work(don't have that), must have graduated from a school of nursing in the last 2 years, or need a RN Refresher Course...

So, does my last year of school that I just completed count as a nursing program(I'm hoping it does)? I definitely took nursing courses, including Assessment plus completed over 200 clinical hours. Or, do you think I need to take an RN refresher course?

Thanks for any input or advice you have!

How in the heck does getting a BSN and completing 200 clinical hours not count?! A refresher course would not be near that vigorous. In my state, the refresher class must also include 80 clinical hours. Yours sounds far superior to that. SMH...

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