Relaunching Nurses to the Forefront of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Heeding the Call Through an RN Refresher Program.

Abstract

Nursing remains the largest health care profession in the nation and RNs comprise one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce with just under 4 million RNs nationwide. Despite the large number of nurses in practice, a variety of factors contribute to the availability of RNs able to meet health care-related demands, leading out-of-practice nurses to seek reentry into the workforce. To develop the skills and knowledge needed to deliver safe and effective care, nurses seeking to return to practice need access to formally structured continuing education opportunities. Nursing refresher courses have historically filled this gap, effectively supporting the reemployment of nurses by preparing them for clinical practice. The COVID-19 pandemic is among the most recent factors encouraging nurse reentry, thus furthering the need for continuing education in support of license renewal. This article provides insight into the development of a university-based refresher program for Texas nurses seeking to reactivate licensure and gain the theoretical and clinical knowledge needed to return to nursing considering the health care demands produced by this unprecedented crisis. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(2)67-71.].