LPN Refresher Courses
A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), the bedside helper, caregiver, patient assistant, and all-around hardworking nurse in training, is in a great position to move up. You’ve achieved certification, and the hours and training, to compete for a higher level of nursing, one that pays more and has better benefits. Maybe it was always your dream to be an RN, and now it’s within your grasp.
But it’s possible you achieved your certification a while back, stayed too long in one place, maybe even moved on to another career. Or you want to be sure to keep your license current, since moving up to RN or beyond is your lifetime dream.
You’re in luck, because the perfect answer for someone wanting to hone their skills, advance in their profession, or return to nursing after a hiatus (and be hired, of course), is LPN Refresher courses.
What are LPN Refresher Courses?
LPN refresher courses are offered at nursing facilities, community colleges, vocational schools and in online courses. They are specifically for LPNs who want to reactivate their licensure, return to the nursing practice or update their knowledge and nursing skills. In any case, it means a return to active nursing.
Why Should I Take Them?
There are several reasons why they are a good idea:
- You can update skills and knowledge from your original LPN program.
- You can learn new and innovative techniques and medical nursing paradigms
- You can plumb new technological procedures
- You can make yourself marketable again in the nursing profession.
We could go on, but the main point is that they will bring you back into nursing, and advance you to even better positions, salary and benefits.
How Do I Apply?
Once you have decided on a suitable school for refresher courses (make very sure they are accredited), you will usually do little more than complete an application (online this takes only a few minutes), produce or other confirm the graduation certificate from your previous LPN training or nursing school, or a complete transcript of your classes in the nursing program, and a verification of the current status of your license (sometimes waived if you are returning to the profession after a long hiatus).
What Do LPN Refresher Courses Include?
Most facilities offering this kind of training have three parts, or phases, to their refresher course offerings.
The first is coursework. This is usually in the form of advanced theory, medical concepts, technologies, ethical situations, and specificities that the LPN may have an interest in, such as RN ethics, the operational theater, anatomy, physiology, or any of the other sciences, and coursework designed to get the LPN on track for a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or even an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing); the latter is particularly good as a degree to make you competitive in the nursing field. Be aware, though, that its coursework can stretch from four to six years in study and experience.
The second phase of the LPN refresher is usually the final exam for LPN renewal. Most states require this before any further action is done to reactivate the LPN certificate, and if the candidate sits successfully, she will have answered between 150 and 250 multiple choice exam questions and (in some states) completed one to three short writings.
The final phase is clinical experience, the same kind of hands-on requirement that you first fulfilled (usually 250 to 500 hours, remember?). In most refresher courses, this requirement is not as rigorous: usually between 100 and 200 hours are accepted for completion of the LPN Refresher process.
What are some LPN Refresher Courses?
Since the most convenient course for LPN refreshers is the online one, we mention three of them here:
- Napnes Inc – features a complete refresher of 120 hours of theory, a multiple-choice exam, and 120 hours of clinical experience.
- Regents Online Campus Collaborative – features a less rigorous course program for the LPN with an inactive and unencumbered license, with a course of 100 hours, 30 of which are clinical experience.
- Degree Leap – features a matching engine for purposes of discovering the best programs for LPN refresher courses.
LPN Refresher Courses are a great way to get back into the LPN profession; jump into license renewal, and refresh your licensed nursing career.
