Internationally educated nurses living in the Portland Metro area are often frustrated by the barriers they face as they attempt to become licensed nursing professionals in the US. The Immigrant Nurse Credentialing (INC) Program, a new RN re-entry program approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN), is a partnership between WorkSystems, Inc. and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). “Internationally educated nurses are often underemployed given their educational and professional backgrounds and until now, have had few options to achieve their RN licensure in the US.
The INC Program is designed to prepare internationally educated nurse for licensure and employment in the US healthcare system through the delivery of a 12 month re-entry program” explains Isabelle Soulé, PhD, RN, INC Program Manager. The INC program includes classroom based learning, self-directed online learning, skills lab, high fidelity simulation, and supervised clinical practice. Financial support, for participants who qualify, can be accessed through state and federal workforce development funds.
The INC Program’s first cohort will begin in January 2018 and there are still a few spots available. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact INC Program Specialist Cathy Boucher at catherineb@irco.org.
Registration details: https://irco.org/assets/uploads/INC_Program_Flyer_1.pdf