Welcome Back Center opens at LaGuardia CC

The New York City Welcome Back Center at LaGuardia Community College will soon open its doors to help internationally trained healthcare professionals get back into a healthcare profession in New York State.
The demand for healthcare professionals who are culturally and linguistically diverse and competent is high. Beth Lord, director of the Welcome Back Center, said internationally trained healthcare professionals, often underemployed or unemployed, can help fill that need.
“LaGuardia has wanted to do this for a long time,” Lord said. “It is a perfect opportunity to get them back into the jobs they had.”
The first Welcome Back Center opened up in California in 2001, now there are nine in the United States, including the new one at LaGuardia. The centers provide orientation, counseling and support to internationally trained health care workers. They assist individuals in developing a career path plan that builds on their skills, experience and education.
In addition, the centers offer guidance on how to obtain the appropriate professional credentials and licenses for their profession, including physicians; nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Vocational Registered Nurses; psychologists; social workers; lab technicians and technologists; occupational therapists; dentists, and pharmacists.
“There is a lot of misconception on how to work in this field again,” said Tania Ramirez, educational case manager at Center for Immigrant Education & Training and Healthcare Career Center/Welcome Back Center. “They think they have to start school again because their degrees are not valid, but that is not the case.”
Participants will be presented with other options to consider like choosing a different health occupation or focusing their skills and experience in the areas of health care management, research, advocacy or policy. The center also offers support services, such as ESL classes and training programs and job placement through LaGuardia’s Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center.
“I think it is very motivating to come to a college and see other people who look like them,” Ramirez said.
The New York City Welcome Back Center for Internationally Trained Health Care professionals will launch on Friday, December 3 at LaGuardia Community College in the Little Theater. The event will begin with a continental breakfast at 9:30 a.m., followed by a ceremony and tour of the new Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center space. For more information, please contact the Welcome Back Center at 718-730-7530 or NYCWBC@lagcc.cuny.edu.