What to do? rn program grad who never took...

chenoaspirit, ASN, RN · May 24, 2008

Well, the longer you wait, the harder it will be. You already have 2 years behind you. Its a shame to have that education and not finish. Does the school offer a refresher course?

MikeyJ, RN · May 24, 2008

Make sure you check with your state board of nursing to ensure you that you are not required to take any type of refresher course.

It will probably be tough to find a hospital that will hire you, just because you have probably forgotten a lot of skills and information and they may not want to spend so much money on essentially re-training you on those skills, etc.

However, if you really want to continue with being a nurse, I would definitely pursue it. I am sure there are other nurses out there who were at one point in a similar circumstance as you are and successfully transitioned into practice.

Good luck to whatever you choose to do! :)

asoonernurse · May 24, 2008

I have to agree with MJ here.

First and foremost, you'll need to go to the people who will have the "final word" on matters such as this; that would be your state's BON. If they don't have any regulations against it, then you cannot be prevented from taking the test. I have never heard of this situation before, so I can offer you no more advice here.

However...

A good refresher course, if offered at your college or university, combined with a course on passing the NCLEX (AllNurse's Suzanne has one of those; check here https://allnurses.com/forums/f197/2008-version-suzanne-s-first-tip-272192.html) would, I think, be essential, as not only have you forgotten how to "think" like a nurse in the years you've let pass, you've also forgotten "how" to take the NCLEX.

Unfortunately, that is the EASY part.

For the rest of your career, in every nursing job you apply to, you will be asked why it took you so long to take the NCLEX. It is just abnormal; people will be curious. If I were the HR person, I would be curious!

You also mentioned that you "hated" Med/Surg (don't we all...), but as a newly-minted nurse, that is exactly where you will be going.

IF you are lucky enough to get something besides M/S, there will still be times where you will need to do a covering shift in an M/S unit. As new nurses, we are expected to "pick up" a few shifts to help out. It is good for us when we do, not so good for us when we don't.

I realize that you requested no "discouraging" advice, but you will need to face some realities of your initial actions.

DO pursue this if it is something that you want. But make sure first, that it is something that you really want. Nursing has a well-earned reputation for chewing up and spitting out nurses who really "want" it.

If you are simply bored now and...well, you understand.

I wish you the VERY best in whatever path you choose. Should you choose nursing, I hope to meet you someday and shake your hand. Taking the NCLEX years after graduation would be something to sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about!

Good Luck,

Michael

Make sure you check with your state board of nursing to ensure you that you are not required to take any type of refresher course.
It will probably be tough to find a hospital that will hire you, just because you have probably forgotten a lot of skills and information and they may not want to spend so much money on essentially re-training you on those skills, etc.
However, if you really want to continue with being a nurse, I would definitely pursue it. I am sure there are other nurses out there who were at one point in a similar circumstance as you are and successfully transitioned into practice.
Good luck to whatever you choose to do! :)

HonestRN · May 24, 2008

You've only been out of school for 1.5 years. Take a refresher course then take the NCLEX and see about working in a Dr's office.

mom and nurse · May 24, 2008

You've only been out of school for 1.5 years. Take a refresher course then take the NCLEX and see about working in a Dr's office.

Agreed. Take a refresher course, take the NCLEX. There's a nursing shortage (at least in our area) and if its like that in the area you are living in what you may find is that hospitals will be glad to have you...... Most have an orientation program for new nurses (some are better than others). You may find you may not be able to work the shift of your choice at first. But this would have been true even if you had taken and passed the NCLEX shortly after your graduation..... Nursing is flexible. A friend of mine who just graduated with her Masters as an NP said that she took the NCLEX and passed, did a year of hospital nursing, was injured in a car accident and had to leave hospital nursing with only one year of experience, and then spent the next 20 years doing everything she could do outside the hospital as an RN..... (actually...she loved the jobs she held). Then she went back to college... and has now graduated with her Masters and passed the boards to become a certified NP (it was rough for her though... but she did it).

First... take the NCLEX and get it over with.

missjennmb · May 24, 2008

how come working in a doctor's office is so seldom suggested? It seems like the most calm/nonstressful job and I never see it talked about on the boards. My original goal when I thought of being a nurse was a doctor's office (but I'm now thinking more of hospitals for the shift differential/more interesting cases)

I would just think that anyone who wants a less intense job could be a doctor's office nurse

blh0624 · May 24, 2008

thanks for all the suggestions...I don't FEEL like I've been out that long to forget ALL but yes, I was already planning on taking a Review class...unsure about what the bon requires but will check into it. I'm kind confused by the fact that hospitals would be leary to hire due to the time off but can kind of understand; however, when asked why i havent worked--well, i had a baby...didnt want to put him in daycare and could comfortably stay home--wasnt planned, it just happened. It would be sad to say I would be punished with it, but then again I guess It will quickly let me know if I have a place in nursing! Thks again...

lvlytxn · May 24, 2008

It is not too late to take the NCLEX!!!!

I recently took and passed it, 8 years after graduation. I had a lot of life circumstances come at me after failing the NCLEX back in 2000. I became discouraged and taking the NCLEX was just not a priority at the time. But my youngest started kindergarten in Sept. 07, and that's when I realized the excuses were over. I needed MY life back.

I studied my butt off for 10 months. There were so many days that I wanted to quit. There was soooo much information to cover. I basically had to relearn EVERYTHING from scratch. I didn't believe that I could pass after being gone for so long. But I did pass with 75 Q's and you will too!!! I encourage you to read up on Suzanne's plan in the NCLEX forum. The Kaplan course also helped me out immensely.

And another thing, being out of the field for so long does affect clinical skills. I'm overseas with my military husband, so a hands-on refresher course was not an option for me. But I would definitely recommend it for you. In the meantime, I started volunteering at our military hospital. The people there are great with letting me observe and practice. And I work part-time as a school nurse with another RN who is AWESOME! There are definitely different opportunities out there besides Med-Surge so go out there and get 'em.

Best of luck on taking the NCLEX.

luv4nursing · May 24, 2008

Hey there! I dont think there is anything wrong with what you did! Yeah Im sure if u had it to do over you would have at least already takent he NCLEX even if u didnt work so it would be behind u and you would only have to worry about getting a job. But couldve, shouldve, and wouldve doesnt do much good now does it?

I was an LPN for 2 years (1 before I went back for my RN and the other during the RN bridge), but I only worked in peds homecare and unless you work with vent dependant kids, you are a glorified babysitter only dealing with g-tubes and trachs. So I dont feel like I had any clinical skills. Most of the ppl in my bridge program had a lot of clinical skills already. Anyway Ive been a little scared to go to the hospital so I didnt go straight out of school in December 07. I passed boards in March and I just started this week at the hospital. I was afraid if I waited more than a year I would have problems getting hired because not only would I be a new grad, I wouldnt even have the knowledge learned from school fresh in my mind. You know what they say, if u dont use it you lose it.

The best thing you can do is go ahead and take the boards, and take a refresher course (unfortunately they arent cheap from what I can tell, probably 1k+) and then apply. Or u know, I would probably talk to some nurse recruiters and explain my situation while expressing an eagerness to start your career now, and if they give you any issues tell them you are willing to take a refresher course.

There were two girls in my class who were pregnant and had babies close to graduation. One still hasnt taken boards, the other did but still works at the nursing home where she worked as an LPN bc she didnt want the stress of learning something new. There were also 2 paramedics who took boards but doesnt plan on working as an RN for at least a year because one had a wife who recently became pregnant and didnt want to lose his benefits from his other job. The other was going to stay home with the kids while his wife went back to school bc it was now her turn since she stayed home while he went to school and they dont believe in daycare.

Sorry so long, Im just giving you 4 examples of why ppl may not go straight into nursing when they graduate and they are all understandable reasons.

Good luck to you!:)

blh0624 · May 24, 2008

lvlytxn and luv4nursing....THANK YOU SO SO MUCH for your stories and guidance! You can't even begin to imagine what encouragment you have just given me!!! Wish me luck! and thank you...GL in your careers as well...I'm sure you are all amazing nurses...

futurecnm · May 25, 2008

i'd take it asap. For sure find out what your state requirements are. I know there may be a time limit that you have to take it in a certain time frame after getting your ATT. I just got my ATT and there was a range on there (not sure how long). not sure what you have to do if you have gone past that. maybe the refresher course. I can kind of see your situation and why you did not take it but then again, I can see that you probably should have taken it right after graduation. I hope you have good luck with your test and career.