Workforce Language Services

In Maryland, foreign-trained nursing professionals are getting the help they need to overcome the language barrier and licensing difficulties that prohibit many immigrants from working in the profession that they studied in their home countries.  Like many other states, Maryland faces a shortage of nurses and by working with foreign-trained nurses.  This program, formerly named the Latino Health Initiative and now the Licensure of Foreign-Trained Nursing Professionals Program assists immigrant nurses to work in the career they previously had as well as address the shortage of nurses. 

The program also enables hospitals to capitalize on Maryland’s well-educated foreign-born population and address diversity issues:

In August, the Urban Institute released a study reporting that 40 percent of Maryland’s immigrants from Latin America and Africa with college degrees work in unskilled professions.

The study also said 43 percent of Maryland’s immigrant workforce has a four-year college degree, compared to 36 percent of native Marylanders…

…Hospitals lacking diverse staffs are likely to struggle with the cultural and linguistic barriers to providing quality health care. These barriers often lead to inefficient treatment, poor communication and patient dissatisfaction, said Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association at a summit on Maryland health care disparities.

To read the article, which cites interviews with program participants, click here.