RN Refresher Course in Southern California

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Hi Everyone!

I am looking for a RN refresher course around San Diego and Los Angeles area. I have inquired few schools listed on the CA BON that offer the course. Since I'm unemployed, I need an affordable 10-12 week course that includes theory and clinical & I don't want to take it online.

List of schools I have inquired:

-Grossmont Health Occupation Center in Santee offers an affordable course, but it's 16-weeks long.

-Cal State San Marcos no longer offers the course.

-UCSD Extension is expensive just for the theory portion.

-CA School of Health Sciences offers a 9-day theory course & is expensive.

Anyone who has taken an RN refresher within San Diego and Los Angeles, please give me information. I will truly appreciate it. I really really hope to hear from you! I'm so desperate for information because I need to take a refresher course.

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Hi Di0sAbELLA!

I actually just completed a RN Refresher Course last week through Azusa Pacific University. It was a great experience! It was a 7 week course with 1 day of lecture and 1 day of clinical. The lecture & clinical were both held at Glendale Adventist Medical Center in Glendale, CA. The course is pricey ($1100), but it is the only course in CA with a clinical portion. The next course is not being offered until the Fall.

Here is the link to their website:

http://www.apu.edu/nursing/continuing/

Good luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask :)

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Hi Huladoll76!

Thank you for your reply. I would like to know the amount of hours for each lecture and clinical. Also, how well did the RN refresher course help and prepare you in returning to nursing?

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Hi Di0sAbELLA!

I actually just completed a RN Refresher Course last week through Azusa Pacific University. It was a great experience! It was a 7 week course with 1 day of lecture and 1 day of clinical. The lecture & clinical were both held at Glendale Adventist Medical Center in Glendale, CA. The course is pricey ($1100), but it is the only course in CA with a clinical portion. The next course is not being offered until the Fall.

Here is the link to their website:

http://www.apu.edu/nursing/continuing/

Good luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask :)

Hi Huladoll76!

Thank you for your reply. I would like to know the amount of hours for each lecture and clinical. Also, how well did the RN refresher course help and prepare you in returning to nursing?

I hope you'll respond me! I can't send private message to you since I have less than 15 posts!

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Hi HulaDoll...Are you able to give more info about the course? I'm seriously consdering taking it. When are classes? Do you have to wear uniforms? Have you gotten a job? What was your experience before taking the refresher, and how long were you away from nursing before taking the class? One more thing...do they help with job placement when you're finished? Okay, one more question :-)...does the hospital where you do clinicals hire people who've been through the refresher course? that's it...for now :-)! thanks!

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Hi Guys!

I'm sorry for the delay in reply.

The lecture was 4 hours a day and the clinical was 7 hours with a 1 hour post conference each day. We were required to wear white scrubs (these were hospital regulations because we were technically still considered students & the hospital color co-ordinates their staff). We rotated between 3 floors, 2 weeks on each floor-Oncology, Medical/Surgical & Ortho/Rehab (These can change during the next class rotation, as the hospital is a teaching hospital, so there are several other students doing clincials). You need to have a current, uninhibited RN License, negative TB, Mal-practice insurance, BLS & have at least 2 of the 3 shot Hep B series completed.

I have been out of nursing for 9 years. I never had any clinical experience other than my school clinicals & a 2 year Student RN Internship (which was CNA type work). This course helped me tremendously! You get what you make out of your experience, so while you are there, make sure that you volunteer to do everything and anything! If you are not able to participate in a skill, make sure you try to observe someone else. The only limitation you have, is that you are not allowed to do IV Insertions.

The course does not provide job placement, but listing the course on your resume is a big plus, especially if you have been away from bedside nursing for awhile. The hospital where we did clinical at hires every month. I did not apply there because it's almost a 3 hour drive from my house, one way. A couple of people from my class applied, but I don't know if they were hired because I haven't kept in touch with them. There are quite a few RN's that work there who have gone through the course though.

If you are thinking of applying to the hospital after you complete the Refresher course, a good idea is during your clinicals, get to know the Nurse Manager of the floor. Let them know who you are.

I am beginning the job search this week. I will be updating my resume. Also, I wanted some kind of experience doing IV insertions since it had been so long & since we could not do them with the refresher course, so I took a separate IV Insertion & Blood therapy course with another school.

:) :) :)

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Hi Guys!

I'm sorry for the delay in reply.

The lecture was 4 hours a day and the clinical was 7 hours with a 1 hour post conference each day. We were required to wear white scrubs (these were hospital regulations because we were technically still considered students & the hospital color co-ordinates their staff). We rotated between 3 floors, 2 weeks on each floor-Oncology, Medical/Surgical & Ortho/Rehab (These can change during the next class rotation, as the hospital is a teaching hospital, so there are several other students doing clincials). You need to have a current, uninhibited RN License, negative TB, Mal-practice insurance, BLS & have at least 2 of the 3 shot Hep B series completed.

I have been out of nursing for 9 years. I never had any clinical experience other than my school clinicals & a 2 year Student RN Internship (which was CNA type work). This course helped me tremendously! You get what you make out of your experience, so while you are there, make sure that you volunteer to do everything and anything! If you are not able to participate in a skill, make sure you try to observe someone else. The only limitation you have, is that you are not allowed to do IV Insertions.

The course does not provide job placement, but listing the course on your resume is a big plus, especially if you have been away from bedside nursing for awhile. The hospital where we did clinical at hires every month. I did not apply there because it's almost a 3 hour drive from my house, one way. A couple of people from my class applied, but I don't know if they were hired because I haven't kept in touch with them. There are quite a few RN's that work there who have gone through the course though.

If you are thinking of applying to the hospital after you complete the Refresher course, a good idea is during your clinicals, get to know the Nurse Manager of the floor. Let them know who you are.

I am beginning the job search this week. I will be updating my resume. Also, I wanted some kind of experience doing IV insertions since it had been so long & since we could not do them with the refresher course, so I took a separate IV Insertion & Blood therapy course with another school.

:) :) :)

HulaDoll76,

Thank you very much for the information and for your help. I will definitely keep Azusa Pacific University as one of my choices of school for RN refresher/re-entry course.

Wishing you the best in your nursing job search!

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Specializes in Cardiac - ER.

I would like to correct the information in this thread. Grossmont Health Occupations DOES provide clinical experience as noted below. Potential employers DO look at time the applicant recently has in the clinical environment.

Grossmont Health Occupations

RN Refresher

Santee, CA (San Diego Area)

CEU: 30

Theory Hours: 135 (7 weeks) - 1 week break then

Clinical Hours: 192 (8 weeks)

FEE: $400 (does NOT include books, uniforms, background check, physical, or insurance costs)

The RN refresher program at Grossmont Health Occupations has been helping RN's return to nursing for decades. It is taught by nurses who concurrently work hands on in local hospitals. The instructors: one is a graduate of the UCSD refresher program, and another is a graduate of program itself. Your instructors are familiar with the difficulties of returning to active employment from your point of view!

CSUSM, Azusa, and UCSD are viable refresher programs within the community. It simply depends on finances, educational desire, and what your overall plans for your career are.

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CaSD,

Thanks for the info! That's awesome that Grossmont has a clinical portion for the re-entry/refresher course. When I searched for courses back in February, they hadn't updated their website to include the clinical hours. I think the 196 clinical hours would have been more beneficial to me than the 42 hours that I got at Azusa. I'll be sure to let my friends know about Grossmont for sure :)

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Yes, good news the Santa Ana College in Orange County have a wonderful refresher with simulated classrooms and hands on simulation lab with all the necessary review of CDS, SEMINARS, DVD'S and so on. Just go onto the Santa Ana College website under nursing then a tab of Refresher RN class will show per each semester. The next available refresher class for RN'S is spring semester. The catalog for the college will further explain the class and all that the class entails.

I think before anyone spends $1000 to $2500 one may want to check out the Refresher course offered to RN'S at a very low price of approximately $100.00 vs 1000.00.

Good luck

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CaSD,

Since I have not passed the NCLEX-RN, is it possible to enroll in the RN refresher at Grossmont without a CA RN license?

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Darn it, I just had a brochure around here that had a RN refresher course listed in it...I wanted to keep the brochure because I want to take an IV Certification course I saw in there, but now I can't find it. Bah. If I find it I'll post the details.

I remember that the cost of it was like $400 or something. I don't think the brochure was from Grossmont though.

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