Refresher Course

Nurses Retired

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I've been home with my children and out of Nsg for 12yrs. I want to get back to it but feel a refresher course is needed first. I was wondering if anyone has taken a course lately. I have a couple options. The course I would like to take is $1800 and includes a clinical -Is that worth it? The online course I found is less expensive- There's an option to arrange a clinical yourself- or not do a clinical at all.

Hi Sally, Thanks for the response and for the much needed encouragement and advice. Yes, I know that I can network and sell myself while doing clinicals, but there are only about 10-12 clinical days and they are on weekends. So I'm hoping that my skills come back to me and I will impress someone. I hope those clinical days are enough...I wish it were more. (I must say I was an excellent nurse back in the day-hope I haven't lost it in the way that I have lost my vision :wink2:). If there are no jobs, at least maybe I can get a recommendation.

It's funny that you mention home health and hospice because that is my end goal. Hospice is the whole reason that I started on this journey, but I figured I'd have to do acute care first. Hospice around here is asking for two years of current acute care clinical. I've done home health before and loved it, loved it, loved it...but I feel that you need a lot of confidence because you are out there alone and you are often the only one that will notice that a patient is deteriorating. I wanted to do acute care, not because I like the environment, but because I think there is no safer way to develop/renew one's skills ....there is so much support around, unlike out in the field.

Just talking about it makes me smile. I've missed nursing so very much. So you think there's hope for me?

Thanks for the welcome back,

Karen

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

definitely it was some 19yrs. for me, and although I am now an adminstrative RN, I am bored, and returning to critical care this fall......... I had thought that I did not want to return to REAL nursing, after out so long, even though I had been on the fringe in medical supply sales etc...... but decided I would go back to school for an "allied profession", and did a respiratory therapist program at our local college. It was fun, and prior nursing made it very easy........ so I started working as ER/ICU respiratory therapist, and in 6mos. knew it backfired, I could not separate out just the respiratory system from the entire patient, and did the refresher courses to return to REAL nursing :):):)......... Funny in Texas, Hospice appreciates a LTC orrientation....... It is an area I will work in sometime before I really quit :):):)

You will be fine, and something else, we enjoy it more now with our increasing age......

Good luck, Sally:yeah:

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So, you were gone from nursing for 19 years, but worked in medical supply sales. Then you became a respiratory therapist, then you did the refresher program, then you did admin, and now you're doing critical care? You must be something else! You had no problem getting hired after the refresher program? I never even thought of going for an allied health position, but that could be another route in the door.

What kind of admin do you do? I did utilization review for awhile, easy job, but frustrating and lots of angry docs.

Your story is very interesting to me.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

facility nurse assessor at a nursing and rehab center/ADON

caution the allied health route can bite you in the booty, having to be "constrained within the limits of that allied role" was very frustrating, that is why I did the reactivation and refresher course route, the Tx.BON requires it after 5 years of not practicing........ now if I had just kept my lis. updated, wheather I was using it or not would have been better...... who knew the "burn'out"route would get boring......It also helps that where I plan to return to critical care is where I graduated from nursing school ( a diploma program), in gwaddddddddd!!!!! 1972.

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Are they receptive to you (in critical care) once you complete the refresher?

Yes, I know...you never know what life is going to throw at you. (I graduated in 84...it doesn't FEEL like that long ago :wink2:) At least you didn't let your license totally expire like I did! but I think that was good for me...to totally retake boards...gave me confidence. Also, when I took a review course (the oldest person in the room with a bunch of new grads!), it gave me confidence that I really hadn't forgotten all and I did know soooo much more than the new grads.

You're not seeing age-discrimination out there? I know you didn't like the allied health bit, but I'm wondering how much 'working somewhere in the medical field' helped you? I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Of course, allied health would be pretty much a last resort....but you do what you gotta do.

All I know is that I'm getting zero response to my resume, so I'm going to start showing up with my dynamic personality and see if that changes anything! :)

Thanks for the input!

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

oh by all means show up with the dynamic personality !!!! cause all paper looks alike.. :):):)

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well, it appears home health and hospice is out. They say that state law requires that I have 'recent' acute care experience and they could not risk considering me for employment. My RN license does not even allow me to work as a nurses aide. So discouraging!

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Specializes in Rehab,Cardiac and PICU.

I just read some of the recent posts to my original one-That sounds so discouraging about the home health and hospice. Home Health was one of my options after I take the refresher course. I know so many recent grads,one in my own family that just passed - is now an RN with no job! Great-Ifeel like I'll be in the same boat. Is this really going to be worth it??- to try and take this refresher course, when there are no jobs out there!

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
I just read some of the recent posts to my original one-That sounds so discouraging about the home health and hospice. Home Health was one of my options after I take the refresher course. I know so many recent grads,one in my own family that just passed - is now an RN with no job! Great-Ifeel like I'll be in the same boat. Is this really going to be worth it??- to try and take this refresher course, when there are no jobs out there!

OK, the facts, demographics.............. we have an aging baby boomer population, which is going to paralize the LTC, home health, hospice etc............ girl the work will and is there...........:yeah:

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luv2swim: I just wanted to post to let you know that I have been a lot more aggressive in my job search and I am receiving more positive responses now. It is really out of my comfort zone to be so pushy, but things feel more optomistic now...one hospital said they would hire me even with the long absence, but only to med/surg. At least I didn't hear the shock in their voice...."how long has it been since you've worked as a nurse??!!" :) I'm not certain that they actually "will" hire me...I suppose that would depend on the pool of applicants for the available med/surg positions...and it was only HR that I spoke with, not even a recruiter. She asked me to apply and please wait two weeks before calling back. She won't put me through to a recruiter until then. So, we'll see..

One SNF is calling me about an MDS Coordinator position, but I haven't been able to actually speak to her yet, so I don't know. That type of job, which I hadn't considered before, might actually be a good fit for me.

Another has been very helpful in guiding me to the correct people to speak with, instead of giving me the blow off. Some are still very discouraging - one recruiter said she could probably get me a job if I moved to Texas.

The funny thing is that everyone I have spoken with has said that they didn't hold much stock in that very expensive refresher program that I want to take. It seems that my taking that program will be for "my" benefit, i.e., my confidence level...the facilities don't care because they say they are confident in their training, which surprises the heck out of me.

Nothing has come of anything yet. It definitely is not as easy as it was when I was coming out as a student from a good program, but I don't think it is impossible. Having a positive, friendly, but assertive attitude has changed things for me. Simply "applying" didn't get me anywhere. So, don't give up!! All we have to do is get that "first job". The rest will be gravy.

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Specializes in Managed Care, Onc/Neph, Home Health.
I am currently enrolled in a refresher course in Fl and I am enjoying it and finding it extremely helpful and informative i will begin my clinicals in a week. good luck!

I am in FL and seeking an RN refresher couse. Wanting to go back to work after 8 yrs. License expired. I am in the panhandle. i have been on the internet seeking an approved course. I do not have the money to do it online. PRICEY. I realize it was in 2009 when this post was written, and now it is 2012. FL BON do not make it easy with site searches.

Thanks

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hi sallyrnrrt i just want to know is it possible for a new nursing grad to comeback anytime they want to the field .cause i am a new mom right now and i have never been licensed since the day of my graduation from my nursing school.i got my BSN degree back on 2009 .so is it possible to take the refresher course and continue or i have to be licensed before .

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