title: Returning nurses to the workforce: developing an online refresher course.
abstract: The crisis of a nursing shortage is encouraging unemployed nurses to return to practice. A refresher course is needed before they return safely. Historically, schools of nursing and hospital-based continuing education departments offered refresher courses in the traditional classroom-based environments. Nurses in less populated, geographically dispersed areas have limited access to these educational opportunities. Refresher courses, whether in an academic or a hospital-based setting, are expensive and depend on class size to be cost-effective. An answer to the problem of cost and access is collaborative distance education using web-based instruction.
authors.affiliation: Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144-5591, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Vanice W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brannan
mesh_terms: D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004518:Education, Professional, Retraining / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet