Hey everyone, I'm having a dilemma and I need some input. I finished nursing school with honors (BSN) and received my license from the summer of '09 and have been looking for RN work since then. Unfortunately, the same year I left nursing school, many hospitals in my area started shutting down and as you all know at the same time hospitals and other facilities started cracking down on the amount of new grads they were hiring and the competition has become stiff, unfortunately, a little too stiff for me as I am still looking for my first nursing job
The other day, I went to a job fair and was told by some places that I've become "stale" and should consider looking into taking a refresher course since there was no way I'd be able to compete with the new grads coming out this year (and let's not forget last year ) I was preparing myself for that possibility although it's a shame I never even gotten the chance to use my nursing skills before I have to freshen up on them again The thing is, I've heard mixed feelings about getting a refresher course, some recruiters saying that they find them impressive and others saying that it didn't make a difference and wasn't worth the effort
I've done my research and found an accredited refresher course and it seems pretty good (it has clinicals included with preceptor placement and everything). The course is over $2,000 and I want to make sure that if I go through this course, I will have a good chance at getting a job (or at least be competitive enough with the new grads coming out this year) since I will have to spend money I shouldn't even be spending for this course Has anyone done this or have an idea of what the best plan of action for me is? I am also willing to relocate at this point.
TIA
Signed, a very nervous old "new" nurse