Health Sciences Department

Workforce improvement with Immigrant Nurses (WIN)

Workforce improvement with Immigrant Nurses (WIN) is a pilot program at Clackamas Community College that provides a pathway for nurses who earned their credentials in foreign countries to work as nurses in Oregon. The course will prepare you to take the National Certifying and Licensing Examination (NCLEX-RN), opening the way to rewarding work as a nurse.

Who is the program for?

The WIN Program is for nurses trained in other countries who would like to become nurses in the United States.The WIN Program has served 35 foreign-educated nurses from 20 countries in three cohorts of students. (April 2006)

What are the requirements to get in the program?

You must possess nursing credentials that are equivalent to a nursing degree in the US.
You must have worked as a nurse within the last 15 years.
You must meet the Oregon State Board of Nurses English language requirement by passing either the TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS examinations.
You must be a citizen or a legal resident in the U.S.

What is the Program Like?

Communication and Medical Terminology courses build essential skills in US healthcare workplace communication
Nursing Transition Program helps you understand nursing in the US and to pass the NCLEX-RN. Nursing skills and physical assessment combine with nursing theory review in a case study format emphasizing critical thinking
Saturday Academy provides monthly daylong seminars on relevant nursing issues.
After you pass the NCLEX-RN, Supervised Clinical opportunities lead to a smooth transition to the US healthcare system
Assistance with education credential evaluation, professional testing and licensing applications and job placement

Completion of the program may take up to 15 months. The program is geared to working adults and most classes are oferred during evenings. You may be in classroom 10 hours per week.

The WIN Program is an Oregon State Board of Nurses (OSBN) approved Re-Entry Program

How much does the WIN Program cost?

WIN is currently funded through a grant from Northwest Health Foundation.

Who do I contact for more information:

Contact Teri Murphy, at terim@clackamas.edu or 503-657-6958 extension 3101 for more information.

What are WIN Students saying?

"We left our home countries for different reasons, because of wars, political systems we disagreed with, discrimination, love and marriages, trying to build a better future for our kids and ourselves. We found ourselves in a great country, the United States of America where all dreams can become a reality. The only problem was that first we had to survive and provide for ourselves and our families. We learned English, the culture, traditions, made new friends and got jobs. But then we were stuck. We could not quit our jobs to go back to nursing school. Some of us tried to pass the nursing test on our own; some of us almost gave up on nursing careers altogether. In this pursuit each of us was on our own."

~ WIN Graduate and US Registered Nurse

"It is a golden opportunity to re-enter a nursing career in the USA with substantial support from the WIN staff. WIN staff will do their best to make your dream come true. It has changed so many students' lives. Go for it!"

~ WIN Graduate and US Registered Nurse

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Clackamas Community College
19600 South Molalla Avenue
Oregon City, Oregon 97045

503-657-6958

6/20/06