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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2004)
N ews F ebruary - 11, 2004 T he C lackamas P rint • 3 Immigrant nurses earn winning opportunity WIN program breaks language barriers, decreases nursing shortage Cyndee Mady Co E ditor - in -C heef Though the nursing shortage is prevalent in Oregon, the recently founded Workforce Investment with Immigrant Nurses program (WIN) will help immigrant nurses gain the pfbper credentials to practice nursing in the. United States and help alle viate the shortage. “It’s an . incredible opportunity for this diverse group of people,” said Alice Goldstein, ESL (English as a Second Language) department chair. “Nurses come to America to do what they have been trained to do, and they can’t do anything with their skills because of the language and cultural barriers, said Goldstein. ‘When you can develop a program where people can overcome these issues, it is a great service.” WIN is funded by a grant from Northwest Health Foundation, who awarded Clackamas $200,000 for two years last October. By the end of the month, a general informa tion session was opened to the public. “We were expecting maybe 30 to 50 people and we had over 200,” said Nursing Coordinator for WIN Judy Anderson. A screening process eliminated three-fourths of the hopefuls, allowing the 50-60 remaining applicants to have one-on-one inter-’ views. Eligibility require ments included English speaking skills, Visa status, credentials, interest, avail ability and commitment to the program. The nurses who were selected for WIN represent 20 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, China, the Philippines, Germany and various Latin countries, to name a few. “The individuals in the WIN program are some of the most remarkable people I have ever met. They have overcome challenges many of us only read about in the paper,” said WIN Program Director William Frank, “Once tFey were all nurses, helping and healing in their own countries of origin. Now the WIN Program is lending a help ing hand to those who have come [to America] with their dreams of helping others,” he said. All of the nurses in the WIN program live in Oregon and have graduated from a nursing program at a university in their own country. Many have tried to pass die nurse licensing exam in the U.S., but could not overcome the cultural and language differences. WIN is designed to help prepare immigrant nurses for the exam. “They will have intense English for two terms and then begin the 15-week nursing program in the summer,” said Anderson. CYNDEE MADY C lackamas P rint The Workforce Investment with Immigrant Nurses program (WIN) meets evenings in Dujardin Hall. (Back row from left) Ramone Figueras, Instructor Joe Ponce, Mahnaz Alidoosti, Anna Vasina. (Front row from left) Natalya Khamitova, Noriko Young, Vera Menkova and Larysa Tremaine participate in WIN. “After they pass the nursing more autonomy. They’re recognize [a questionable most of the nurses are licensure exam, they have expected, legally, to ques order], it is the nurse’s going to be facing retire three months of closely tion orders that they feel responsibility as well as the ment in the next 10 or 15 years,” she said. supervised practice in a are inappropriate—-to have doctor’s.” According to Anderson, Though WIN was responsibility for a physical hospital.” Anderson designed to aid in the nurs the recruiting process needs Although participants in assessment,” WIN already practiced said. “In other countries ing shortage and the neces to begin in high schools. “We want to have nursing in their own coun they, more or less, will just sity for bilingual nurses, tries, they will have to work follow the doctor’s order. Anderson still has concerns enough qualified nurses. hard to adapt to the-transi If the order is incorrect, about the growing problem. It’s going to get very acute “What we’re dealing ... as the baby boomers tion of becoming American the responsibility is the physician’s. [In the United with now is the average age start needing hospitaliza nurses. “In America, nurses have States] if the nurse does not of nursing is quite high, so tion,” said Anderson. Retail Half.com Le Duh. I For a limited time, first-time buyers ■ ! Save an additional $5 ! ‘ on purchases of *50 or more! J i Simply use this code: ! GOCLACKAMAS ■ M M M M — How smart is this: All the textbooks you need for up to 50% off retail prices. New or i used, all you have to do is go to half.com ! and type in the book titles, or ISBN numbers, I — — J ■ viva la va’ue! Same textbooks. Smarter prices. Copyright 2003-2004 Half.com. Half.com, the Half.com logo, eBay and the eBay logo are trademarks of eBav Inc.,.: its reserved *Avera«*« Price of a New Textbook based on data from Follett Corp (as reported by The Associated Press in January 2003). 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