VANCOUVER The Board of Northwest Health Foundation awarded $100,000 to WSU Vancouver for its diversity nursing faculty project.
The project helps train RNs from other countries to qualify to practice in the U.S. after they have graduated from the Workforce Improvement with International Nurses (WIIN) program.
This certificate program, described as community-based and population focused, is designed to address the current shortage of qualified nurse educators. In addition its goal is to improve “culture competence” in the nursing field locally and globally.
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“There is a lack of diversity in the health care profession,” said Dawn Doutrich, WSU Vancouver Intercollegiate College of Nursing professor. “The typical RN demographic is a 42-55 year-old, white, American-born female. An increase of diversity will mean a stronger workforce and ultimately better patient care.”
The project aims to develop a pool of nurse educators from a variety of backgrounds and bring their unique global perspectives and understandings to nursing education. It is designed in collaboration with WIIN, which prepares entry-level RNs by focusing on nurses who have been trained and credentialed in foreign countries.
The program has graduated four cohorts of 10-15 students, most of whom have passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and are now working as registered nurses in the United States. Students have come from countries such as Cuba, Japan, Romania, the Philippines and the Czech Republic.
