Are you a nurse who has taken some extended time off from the job, and now you’re ready to dive back in? No matter how long you’ve been a nurse, if you’ve had a long break, it may be a wise idea to return to nursing school—via a nursing refresher course.
What is a Refresher Course in Nursing?
A nursing refresher course is a program tailored to bring your skills and knowledge back into focus after stepping back from the profession for a while. These types of courses exist for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/LVN). Please note that if you hold a nursing specialty certification, a refresher course may not meet your specialty’s requirements for certification reactivation.
Types of Nurse Refresher Courses and Cost
When reviewing available nursing refresher courses, you’ll find a few different options.
- Some courses are 100 percent online learning, while others include classroom instruction.
- Some courses may be self-led, while others have a fixed syllabus with periodic deadlines.
- Courses with a clinical component may be a hybrid of online theory with in-person clinical or classroom instruction and in-person clinicals.
The course cost will vary depending on how long they are, whether they include a clinical component, and what type of institution offers them. Courses can range anywhere from $350 to over $1,500.
Why You Should Take a Nursing Refresher Course
Consider the following reasons when deciding if you should take a course to brush up your skills:
- Your nursing license is expired: Your state board of nursing will likely require you to complete a course to switch an inactive license to an active license or renew an expired one.
- You need an update on industry developments: The healthcare field has experienced substantial advancements in best practices, knowledge, and technology over the last five years. A course can help bring you up to speed.
- You want to boost your confidence: For some, returning to the profession after a break can feel comforting, but for others, it can draw out and inflate insecurities. A course will help you quiet the doubting voice and build confidence. Remember, you already passed nursing school and worked as a nurse—you’ve got this!
- You want to strengthen your nursing resume: There is a nursing shortage, so you are needed back in the field! Nevertheless, managers will wonder and perhaps hesitate when they see an extended absence from the field on a resume. You can dispel those concerns clearly when you include on your resume (and cover letter) that you’ve completed a nursing refresher or re-entry course.
- You need current professional references: When hiring, facilities want to be able to talk to a professional reference who has recent knowledge of your skills. They want to be reassured that, in the present moment, you can do the job. A program will allow you to foster connections with educators, clinical instructors, and other healthcare professionals.
- You need to find a job: The networking opportunities that can occur naturally during a program and clinicals may lead to a job opportunity for you.
Nursing Refresher Course Requirements
Requirements for applying for a nursing refresher course differ depending on individual classes; however, you can expect that you’ll need to provide documentation that your vaccines are up to date, documentation of your graduation from an accredited nursing program, and documentation about your inactive or expired license status. Reach out to the program contact for details about the enrollment process.
What do Refresher Courses Cover?
Refresher courses will focus on ensuring you are up-to-date on nursing care best practices and evaluating and shoring up your lab skills and clinical skills. That said, there is no single nationwide standard refresher curriculum. Look at a few different options—if you can—to draw comparisons. If you elect to do a course for your professional benefit, consider what areas of nursing practice you want to work on, lab, clinical, or theory, for example, and let that guide your decision.
Refresher Courses vs. Re-Entry Programs: What’s the Difference?
This can be confusing because not all states refer to these courses with the same term. Both these two terms are used interchangeably in the industry.
How to Find the Right Nursing Refresher Course for You
Check with your State Board of Nursing (SBON) for approved RN and LPN/LVN refresher courses and/or re-entry programs in your state.
For nurses looking for a course because their license went inactive or expired, you’ll also need to find out what other requirements are in place for the reactivation or renewal of your nursing license. Those requirements will vary by state and based on how long your license has been inactive or expired.
Ease Back Into Nursing with PRN Shifts
Almost 18% of nurses leave their first job within one year, and more leave each year for retirement. Whatever your reasons for taking time off from nursing may have been, know that your transition back into active practice is essential and appreciated and will impact the people you work with and the patients you care for. Renewing your basic certifications and reactivating your nursing license are the first steps toward making an impact.
Have you considered working per diem (PRN) nursing jobs for a more flexible return to active nursing practice? Nursa helps connect registered and licensed practical/vocational nurses to healthcare facilities in need one shift at a time. If you have an active license, you can pick up PRN shifts near you—on your terms.
