Internationally Educated Nurses Transition Program

The Next Level: IEN to RN

We’re currently recruiting internationally educated nurses to train for an RN degree!

Do you know an internationally educated nurse (IEN) who needs to be RN certified to work in the United States? TCC is currently recruiting 22-24 students for a 12-month training program, beginning summer quarter 2012.

The Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation awarded the Tacoma Community College (TCC) Foundation a $200,000 grant to fund the Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) Transition Program. The grant will be used to fund a 12-month program in which nurses certified in other countries gain the skills to become RN-certified in the United States. To qualify for the program, participants must meet specific language proficiency requirements and other criteria. Training will be provided at nominal cost to the students.

IENs are nurses who have received their nursing education outside the U.S. They have contributed significantly to the U.S. nursing workforce since WWII. Yet many IENs find themselves unable to pass the national licensure examination and unable to work as RNs. Difficulties with credentials verification, skills gaps, and communication challenges all contribute to this problem.

The grant will enable TCC to expand and revise the curriculum of the IEN Transition Program pilot implemented in 2010 to a full credit-bearing certificate course of study designed to meet Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission requirements. The program will also include comprehensive wraparound services, including credential evaluation, language coaching, and career assistance.

Program Director Satwant Singh-Kurtz says the program also addresses the equipment found in American medical settings. Equipment can vary significantly from country to country.

“We teach them the new technology, how to use all the equipment we have here,” said Singh-Kurtz. “Many international nurses have never seen an insulin pump.” 

The program is designed to benefit the community as well as the students. IENs reflect the diversity of the patient population. Enabling them to be employed in their field of expertise increases not only their personal earning power, but the contribution to the local tax base of a currently underemployed/unemployed skilled population. The individuals that will be served by this project are current, established legal residents of the Greater Tacoma-Pierce County area.

Singh-Kurtz believes the program will ultimately benefit patients.

“It’s not just about taking care of a disease. You have to take care of the whole person and make them comfortable. One reason I like international nurses is, they bring that caring to patient care – that’s how they’re trained.”

For more information, please contact Program Director Satwant Singh-Kurtz.