An LPN refresher course is for those nurses who have not been practicing as a nurse for a long time, but who would like to get back into the game. Even if you have been working as an LPN, you may find it highly beneficial to renew your knowledge.
You cannot work without an LPN license, and if you have not been working for a certain period of time then your license would have become deactivated. In this case doing a refresher course for LPN nurses is the best way for you to restart your career. Luckily you will be able to do your LPN refresher course online. This is because it is a highly flexible program that merely needs you to refresh your knowledge in the field of LPN nursing in order to restore your license.
The Parts of a LPN Refresher Course
Like most nursing qualifications you will do, there are two parts to an LPN refresher course, namely the theory side and the practical side.
Theory
In this part of the LPN refresher course you will merely have to catch up on the latest theory knowledge and refresh your memory as to the information you have already learned in the past. It is interesting to note that if you are studying online then you will be able to do this part of your course easily and in your own time and according to your schedule. It is a very flexible way of studying. There are five basic components that make up most LPN refresher course programs:
- Nursing Concepts
- Nursing Skills
- Nursing Interventions
- Adult Health Nursing
- Mental Health and Aging
The online theory portion of the LPN refresher course will take approximately 120 hours for most courses.
Practical
This part of the refresher course is compulsory. You will have to do the required clinical training in order to get your license back. This should not be too hard, however, it should be easy enough for you to make an arrangement with a local clinic or hospital that will allow you to complete the required clinical hours with them. Something that you may want to try is doing your clinical work at the place that you hope to work at once you have successfully completed your LPN refresher course. This is a good idea as you will have already established a relationship with the institution and they will have had the chance to see what a kind of worker you are, giving them a clearer idea of whether or not they would like to hire you once you have completed the necessary clinical hours to restore your LPN license. This works out well for both you and your employer, so try to get your foot in the door as soon as possible. The amount of time that you are generally required to spend on the clinical side of the course is about 120 hours.
The Final Examination
For most LPN refresher course examinations you will have to answer 200 multiple choice questions on the work that you have covered.
Why You Should Consider Doing a LPN Refresher Course
- One of the main advantages of doing an LPN refresher course is that you will be able to refresh the knowledge and skills that you picked up during your initial LPN training. Keeping up to date with what is going on in the nursing is extremely important. If you have been out of the nursing game for a while, then it is even more essential that you catch up with what you’ve missed and refresh you memory on the things that you already know.
- When you do the clinical side of your LPN refresher course you will be under the guidance of a professional nurse who will make sure that you pick up all of the new skills required of you quickly and easily. Picking up these new skills is one of the most beneficial parts of doing an LPN refresher course, which is why these types of courses can be good even for nurses who still have their licenses and are working.
- Nursing is a science, and consequently there are many advances taking place all the time in terms of the technologies and procedures used in this industry. If you want to get back into the field of nursing you will need to know what is going on in this regard. You will need to be up to date with the relevant technologies and procedures if you wish to be successful in the field.
- An LPN refresher course is a great way to increase your confidence. Nurses who have been out of the nursing filed for a while may feel a little uncertain when returning, which is one of the reasons why an LPN refresher course is required. This is another reason why nurses who are still working in the field can also take part in these courses. You need to be comfortable with what you are doing and you need to have the confidence to do it properly. If you feel that your confidence needs a bit of a boost, then an LPN refresher course is the perfect path for you to take.
- With an LPN refresher course under your belt it will be much easier for you to find employment once you decide to re-enter the job market.
- A big reason why many nurses decide to do an LPN refresher course and get back into their careers as nurses is that they miss the camaraderie that you experience when working with others in your chosen field. They miss their colleagues and want to get back to sharing their working lives with others that share their interests.
- Apart from boosting your confidence, getting an LPN refresher course qualification will also boost your self-esteem. You are likely to be far more successful if you have completed an LPN refresher course, making you more likely to feel good about yourself.
- Doing an LPN refresher course is a great way to build your LPN resume. If you have this on your resume, especially if you did not need to do the refresher course in order to renew your license, then you will be able to show potential employers that you are dedicated to further education and to keeping your skills and knowledge up to date in order to offer the best service possible to your patients.
- Finally, the nursing field is growing drastically. In this day and age health care professionals are more and more in demand. If you are able to keep up to date with the necessary information that an LPN needs to know then you will be able to be part of this exciting growth experience.
Tips for Getting Started With Your LPN Refresher Course
- To do an LPN refresher course you must have previously qualified as an LPN. If you have, then you should have some of your coursework notes or textbooks lying around somewhere. Before ding anything else, go over this work. If you have lost it or given it away, find a friend who still has all of this information and get a head start on the program by reminding yourself of all the things you already know. There will most likely have been some advances since you studied that work, but it is important to re-establish your base of knowledge before continuing with the new information that you may have to learn.
- Having worked as an LPN before you should know quite a lot of nurses who are still working in the field. Get together with one of your old friends and talk to them about any new developments that have taken place in the nursing field during your absence. If they are able to update you on the various things that have happened then you will be ahead of the game when you start your LPN refresher course officially. If you can get permission from the place where your friend works, shadow her on her daily activities. Because you are a qualified LPN and because you will not be paid for this, it will most likely be easy enough to get the permission you need to do this. This is a great way to get you started with improving your LPN career. You will have to do a certain number of clinical hours in any case to complete your qualification, and these could count towards that.
- Keep in mind that in today’s world everything is done electronically. Make sure that you know how to use a computer, at least the basics thereof. If you have been out of the game for a really long time than you may want to consider taking a computer course or two in order to get up to date with this type of technology. There are also many hospital specific technologies that have been developed lately so if you are able I some way to get exposure to these technologies before doing your program this will help you a lot.
- If you start easing yourself back into the program slowly in this way by getting familiar with the new technology and so on, you will be far more confident and comfortable once you are working in the field again.
- The hospital where you do your practical and clinical training may be the best option for you to consider once you decide to become employed. You will have had experience working there, and this may mean that you will be more confident with that environment than others. They also may be more willing to hire you as you have already worked for them on a voluntary basis in order to get your qualifications. This is because they are already aware of your working style and habits, and they know that you are willing to engage in further education in order to keep your skills at a high level.
- Some nurses feel a little uncertain about getting back into a working environment with other nurses who have not stopped working. The important thing is to appear confident, even if you are not. Make it clear that you do not regret the time you spent away from the nursing profession, whatever your reasons, and make it well known that you know everything that they know despite your absence from the profession. If you do this you will soon be accepted by your colleagues and treated with the respect that you deserve.
- If you are doing an online LPN refresher course, maybe you should consider doing an online LPN to RN course as well. This will allow you to advance your nursing career quickly and relatively easily, and will bring you back into the field slightly ahead of the game. It is something that is well worth considering, but remember that if your LPN license is not currently active than you will have to complete the refresher course first.
Things to Remember When Choosing a LPN Refresher Course
It is very important that your LPN refresher course be approved by the State Board of Nursing. If it is not you will effectively be wasting your time and money as the qualification you receive at the end of it will be worth nothing.
Required Documentation
In order to get your LPN license back you will most likely be required to present the following documentation:
- Professional liability insurance
- Current nursing license or in process of re-instatement of license
- Proof of current immunization
- Background check and drug screening
Some of these documents may require a fee.
Doing your LPN refresher course is a great way to get ahead in the field of nursing. Many nurses have had to leave their professions temporarily for a variety of reasons, and doing a course such as this is a great way to get back into the game with confidence. It is also great for anyone who is feeling a little out of their depth with all of the technological advancements in the filed to get the knowledge they need to do their jobs with confident. If you consider the vast number of advantages to doing an LPN refresher course you will soon realize that this is one of the best career moves that you could make.
