 Independent Study Refresher Course for Registered Nurses
Program Overview INTRODUCTION Welcome to the independent study refresher course! We hope that it will assist you in meeting your personal and professional goals. At a time when the Nation is experiencing a severe nursing shortage, the inactive nurse is a resource that may offer an answer to this shortage and provide you with the personal and professional growth that you are seeking. PURPOSE This self-study refresher course was developed to help inactive Registered Nurses review and update their nursing knowledge and skills, thus allowing them to move with confidence into a nurse orientation program and return to practice. This course is offered over the Internet and may be completed in one's home community and at a pace and time which best meets individual needs. OBJECTIVES The overall objectives of the course are to provide an opportunity for participants to:
This is a flexible, self-paced course of study, consisting of a minimum of 200 hours (120 hours of theory and 80 hours of supervised clinical experience). Time to complete the course is flexible, based upon individual needs and circumstances, but the entire course must be completed within a 12 month period of time. Work may begin on the modules in the theory portion while you are making the necessary arrangements for your clinical experience. If you are completing the modules online, a proctor is not necessary as the timed examinations are available online. All of the modules must be completed before you begin the clinical portion of the course. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT Theory The theory component of the Refresher Course has been organized into fourteen major instructional modules. The first module addresses trends and issues in nursing and the remainder are based upon Functional Health Patterns. Functional Health Patterns is a system developed by Marjory Gordon for organizing a nursing assessment based upon function and directs the nurse in collecting data and assessing. Theory Evaluation and Examination Procedure There are fourteen examinations, one for each instructional module. Students completing the online version of the program have timed examinations which are automatically submitted, and graded with immediate feedback on your score. A proctor is not necessary for online exams. If you are completing a hand written exam you will need to provide the name and address of your proctor at the time you begin study in order to get the exam mailed on time. If a score of less than 72 percent is attained on Form A of the examination, the participant will be requested to study the module again and complete Form B of the examination. Exams may be repeated once (a total of two attempts) to obtain a passing score before being dropped from the program. Clinical Component and Evaluation The clinical experience consists of a minimum of 80 hours of supervised experience in a health care facility, i.e. hospital, nursing home, or combination of health care facilities. Arranging for the clinical experience is the responsibility of each participant. However, if you are completing your clinical in South Dakota please contact our continuing education office to determine individual hospital protocol before contacting individual hospitals. Please be advised that some facilities may charge a fee for providing the clinical experience. Also, each State determines the number of clinical hours necessary for reactivation of your license and where those hours must be completed. You must submit your Clinical Plan prior to beginning your clinical experience and allow two weeks for processing the paperwork. All necessary components for clinical (background check, drug screening, immunizations, CPR, proof of health and liability insurance, etc) MUST be submitted BEFORE you will be allowed to begin the clinical component of this course. The clinical experience will be evaluated by the clinical supervisor according to criteria included in the course materials. Upon completion of the clinical experience, the completed evaluation tool which is included in the course materials is to be returned to the course provider. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM A certificate of completion will be awarded to participants upon successful completion of both the theory and clinical components of the course. LICENSURE A limited license is required during the clinical component of the refresher course and allows nursing practice only under the DIRECT PERSONAL SUPERVISION OF A LICENSED REGISTERED NURSE identified as your clinical supervisor, and may not be used for gainful employment. The limited license is only valid for a specific period of time. Therefore plan carefully regarding completion of clinical hours. For example, the limited license in South Dakota is only valid for 90 days. DATE OF PROGRAM The program is ongoing. Individuals may enroll at any time. COURSE APPROVAL This course has been approved by a number of State Boards of Nursing to meet refresher course requirements for re-licensure as a registered nurse. It is the responsibility of each participant to ascertain whether the program is certified in his or her state and the exact requirements of the state. Theory hours and clinical hours may vary for each state. COST AND COMPLETION TIMEFRAME The cost of the Independent Study Refresher Course for
RNs is $500.00.
A printable CD of a course workbook is available for an additional $20.00 fee
You will need to purchase the textbook "Fundamentals of Nursing" Human Health and Function (5th edition) by Ruth F. Craven, by contacting Cheryl Havrevold from the University Bookstore at (800) 985-8771 or via e-mail at Cheryl Havrevold@sdstate.edu. This is an additional cost of $82.95 plus $7.50 for shipping and handling. Withdrawal procedures: If you receive your materials and decide not to complete the course, you have 30 days from the date of enrollment to return your course materials to receive a refund of 85% of the fees of the course. After 30 days, you will not receive any refund. FACULTY This course was originally developed by SDSU faculty along with Dorothy Schooley, RN, and Gloria Damgaard RN, MS. The most recent revision of the course was completed by Marlys Bohn, RN, MS. Questions regarding content and examinations should be addressed to 605-688-5745 or emailed at Linda.Kropenske@sdstate.edu. COURSE COMPLETION In order to complete this Refresher Course, participants must successfully pass both the theory and clinical components. Upon successful completion of the Refresher Course, participants will be sent a certificate. A photocopy of the certificate should be sent to your Board of Nursing to document successful completion of the course. Any participant who does not successfully complete the theory component will not be permitted to begin the clinical component of the Refresher Course. If a participant is unable to successfully complete the clinical portion, this will result in failure of the Refresher Course.
HOW TO ENROLL: If you wish to enroll in this course, please complete and print the online application form and send check or money order to the following address:
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