Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium (CBNC) received a $150,000 continuation grant from the Chicago Community Trust. These funds will allow the organization to continue to support and mentor Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) as they transition their professional practice in the Chicagoland area and surrounding communities. Founded in 2002, CBNC has served more than 800 Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN’s) from over 60 countries seeking RN licensure here in the state of Illinois. There have been over 108 candidates who took the NCLEX-RN exam, required for licensure. 91.6 percent passed the exam and are now licensed to practice. CBNC is the only centralized resource for immigrant IENs in Illinois – and one of the few in the U.S. that offers programs and services to assist IENs to adapt to U.S. health care systems and culture.

“Our mission is to increase the number of internationally educated nurses for practice as bilingual bicultural nurses in metropolitan Chicago and surrounding communities through advocacy, education, and supportive services. The Chicago Community Trust has been a valuable support to our very important mission,” Fran LaMonica, Executive Director. The Chicago Community Trust’s support over the past year has allowed CBNC to grow, reach out to, and assist IENs. Studies show that bicultural nurses are necessary for patient safety. The American Nurses Association predicts that by 2024, “nearly 690,000 nurses will leave the labor forces through retirement and other reasons, causing a nurse vacancy rate of 1.2 million.” According to the Illinois Center for Nursing, by 2020 the Illinois Nursing shortage will be 21,000. The Migration Policy Institute report of 2017 indicated that there are, “nearly 2 million college-educated immigrants and refugees in the United States unable to fully utilize their professional skills.” Many of these immigrants are nurses. IENs are part of the solution to the Nursing Shortage and Patient Safety problems.