Julia0628

I've really had a hard time finding a review course for my situation. I called the local community college as I found a nursing refresher course there, but because there are clinicals involved it was only for nurses who are currently licensed. They wouldn't even let me audit the class so that didn't help. I began to self-study but quickly became overwhelmed. I took the Hurst Review which was helpful to go over content but it only scratched the surface. A lot of it has been on my own. I'm currently taking the Kaplan On-line course which offers many resources to brush up on information that I learned back in the mid 1980's. In this journey, the thing that I've been really disappointed in is the lack of support for somebody in my situation. For a while I thought I would have to go back to school and complete an associate degree just to get the info that I needed to pass the exam. The other frustrating piece of this is the lack of fairness in the situation. My neighbor has been out for the same amount of time I've been. She kept her license up by paying the annual fee. She didn't do anything else but pay. There were no CEU's required. If she wanted to she could've gone straight back to work. We both are scratching our heads on that one. She paid the state. I didn't. Neither one of us practiced for 12 years but she can legally go back to work right away. She said she doesn't feel competent to do so and therefore she won't. She's taking the review course offered for licensed nurses at the community college and I'm retaking the NCLEX. She's so glad she pulled her checkbook out on an annual basis. The message that the state is sending us is that money talks (especially here in IL).

I'm 46 and am going back to nursing after staying home with children for about 12 years. After being out that long, I wouldn't want anyone to be a client of mine. I'm a little rusty. I'm required retake the NCLEX and am glad about that as I feel it'll make it safer for all. So it's kind of like going back to school and starting a new career. I'll be working with some nurses that will have less experience than I do, but at the same time I will be new. Things have changed since 1999. The NCLEX has changed since I originally took it in 1987. It feels like I'm starting a new career also. I have a lot of respect for people such as yourself who are taking on the challenge. Way to go!