refresher course after 15 years

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Dec 14, 2008

Nursing practice has changed in 15 years. I don't think you need to do anything before the course, But if you want a good over view buy an NCLEX review book.

lindarn · Dec 14, 2008

Does anyone know what I should prepare for before I start this RN refresher course? Any info on this course in Tempe, AZ its called SEVEN Health care. AZ BON approved it. No college credit is given and it cost $2700! ouch! I'm worried I'll waste my money but its a shorter course than the Comm College.?? What skills will I have to pass on the check list? Thanks!

I will once again repeat myself- if hospitals are so desparte for nurses, why are they not stepping up to the plate and offering,"nurse refreaher courses" for older, experienced nurses to come back to work.

Nurses are forced to take expensive "refresher courses" at their own expense. Why don't hospitals charge new grads for their orientation? These cost far more than to provide than refresher courses would cost to get older nurses, who have been out of the work force for a number of years, back up to speed.

It is a sore point with me at this discrimination against older nurses. I am also sure that $$$$ is a factor- $35 and hour versus $22. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

subee, MSN, CRNA · Dec 14, 2008

Lindarn, your posts are usually right on, but I must disagree with this one. If one CHOOSES to leave nursing for 15 years, then the person who made the choice should be forced to pay for the refresher. She wasn't out for a couple of years; she was out 15 years. Why should the institution pay for her personal choice? 15 years requires a lot more than a quick refresher - its practically an entire new body of knowledge.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Dec 14, 2008

I don't think there is much of nursing shortage in AZ. Anyway I think the amount asked for the course is responsible considering there is a clinical component to this course.

robalina · Dec 14, 2008

Subee,

You shouldn't be so quick to judge. Maybe there are some people who sacrificed their career for a sick family member or other unselfish reasons.???

Jolie, BSN · Dec 15, 2008

I recently completed a refresher course after 10 years out of practice (raising my children.) It was a semester in length and included an overview of adult med-surg (I had to do additional independent study to include peds in the course) and a clinical rotation on an adult tele unit. My 11 years of active nursing practice was spent in OB and NICU, so I hadn't touched a sick adult since nursing school in the 1980's.

I didn't find the course to be terribly difficult. Time consuming, yes. Difficult, no. The basics of pathophysiology, pharmacology, patient safety, education, ethics, etc. don't change with time. Of course new knowledge exists on causes and treatments of disease, and new legislation and practices impact patient care, but they were not difficult to understand, given my good foundation of knowledge from nursing school, practice and life experience.

The clinical portion was not difficult, either. Tiring and hard on my 40-something joints, but again, the basics of skills and patient safety haven't changed. New pumps, new gadgets and gizmos, but every time a nurse changes jobs, s/he is likely to encounter new equipment, since no 2 hospitals seem to use the same stuff.

I actually found it a bit refreshing and reassuring just how easy it was to fall back into the swing of things. Of a class of 9 students, all succeeded.

lindarn · Dec 15, 2008

I recently completed a refresher course after 10 years out of practice (raising my children.) It was a semester in length and included an overview of adult med-surg (I had to do additional independent study to include peds in the course) and a clinical rotation on an adult tele unit. My 11 years of active nursing practice was spent in OB and NICU, so I hadn't touched a sick adult since nursing school in the 1980's.
I didn't find the course to be terribly difficult. Time consuming, yes. Difficult, no. The basics of pathophysiology, pharmacology, patient safety, education, ethics, etc. don't change with time. Of course new knowledge exists on causes and treatments of disease, and new legislation and practices impact patient care, but they were not difficult to understand, given my good foundation of knowledge from nursing school, practice and life experience.
The clinical portion was not difficult, either. Tiring and hard on my 40-something joints, but again, the basics of skills and patient safety haven't changed. New pumps, new gadgets and gizmos, but every time a nurse changes jobs, s/he is likely to encounter new equipment, since no 2 hospitals seem to use the same stuff.
I actually found it a bit refreshing and reassuring just how easy it was to fall back into the swing of things. Of a class of 9 students, all succeeded.

I will again ask the same question- why, if hospitals are in such dire need of nurses, or so they say, why are they not stepping up to the plate to assist older nurses who have been out of the profession for a number of years, by offering an on site refresher course in exchange for a certain number of years of work?

Orientations for new grads is way more expensive, and difficult to get new grads up to speed, than older, experienced nurses who have not worked in a number of years. Older nurses could easily do review of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, etc, and then do the clinical portion at the hospital. I do not see the difference in either course, except that older nurses would want a higher salary than a new grad would, and has far less tolerance for the BS that hospitals pull on new grads, who are not knowledgable of the ways of the world, in other words, naive, and easily pushed around. That, to me is the basis for all of the fawning over hiring new grads, instead of older, experienced nurses. I stand by my initial statements, and views. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Jolie, BSN · Dec 15, 2008

Linda,

I agree with you. If I had chosen to seek out a maternal-child health position, I don't honestly believe that the refresher would have been necessary at all. A slightly longer orientation than the average bear, perhaps, but not an entire refresher plus orientation.

But I didn't take the course with the idea of returning to hospital nursing. I took it because I realized that it was necessary to update my resume in order to prepare for other avenues of employment/entrepreneurship. Therefore it was a necessary expense, and I had to pay it myself.

imenid37 · Dec 15, 2008

If a nurse has been away from the bedside for x # of years, then there is a wide variation of where they are in terms of learning needs. Some may have worked in a non-clinical role, but been very involved in healthcare (ex. insurance company work), someone else may have been home w/ kids, and someone else may have been selling real estate. New grads have many of the same learning needs, so to orient them is a lot easier because it is a more uniform process. They are fresh out of school and more of a "known quantity." The nurse out of clinical practice for many years may have kept her CE's up or maybe not. He or she has been out of practice for x # of years for whatever personal reason which is not the responsibility of the person's school or potential employer. It is his/her responsibility to complete the necessary education to get back into practice. I'd be supportive of reimbursing some of the cost of a refresher for an employment committment, but not providing that for the individual up front. I think many people who are out of practice for years need as much or even more than new grads. There was no EMR twenty years ago. That alone hampers many people who have been at home. especially for a great length of time. A new grad is almost always quite computer savvy. We have a lovely lady who worked postpartum more than twenty years ago. She is a wonderful lady, but worked for years for the DOH. She needed a lot of orientation and a lot of support. She does well, but it has been a failry long road. My pet peeve, as a clnical educator is the person who feels we must provide "everything" to them at work to meet their learning needs. If you are a professional, either learning a new specialty or keeping up with the profession, you need to be in the driver's seat and take the initiative to learn. If I give an orientee something to read or suggest a website, he/she m,ay need to do a little of this on their own time. I am not talking about hours and hours of hard study, but taking half an hour once or twice a week to read an article or make an attempt to better understand something they do not have a new grasp of or are simply interested in.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Dec 15, 2008

Hospitals in my area are saturated with nurses so they don't have a need for refresher courses for nurses. The original poster was from Arizona another area with a glut of nurses.

As one who worked with nurse refreshers, there is a variation, one could have left nursing with one year experience - this person needs an intense refresher, while a nurse who worked for 10-20 years only needs a bit of coaching.

I agree in areas with they are recruiting nurses the hospital should assist in funding the program.