Building a Pipeline of Russian-Speaking Nurses in Israel
Barbara Glickstein (left) and Shirly Luz (right)
Thousands of immigrants fled the war in Ukraine and the regime in Russia and arrived in Israel on forced aliya. They survived the October 7th terrorist attack, are re-traumatized, and find themselves scrambling to adapt to another war. Many of them are living in poverty and Project Kesher Israel (PKI) has been their humanitarian lifeline. PKI's commitment to these new Olim includes supporting them to find ways to be financially stable and integrated into Israeli society.
Project Kesher Board Chair Barbara Glickstein, a public health nurse, initiated a collaboration between PKI and Shirly Luz, PhD RN, the head of the Department of Nursing Registry and Licensure, at the Nursing Division of the Israeli Ministry of Health. The Health Ministry Division of Nursing recognizes the need to recruit Russian and Ukrainian-speaking nurses to meet the healthcare needs of this population living in Israel. To become a registered nurse in Israel, besides the enormous personal and professional effort and academic excellence, one needs a high level of Hebrew- for the newest Olim this is especially critical.
These discussions are in the early stages of identifying qualified candidates to create a pipeline of Russian-speaking people with a level of Hebrew proficiency and a working knowledge of English, to be accepted to a full scholarship to an academic nursing program that would qualify them to take the registered nursing examination. The Division of Nursing of the Health Ministry requested PKI establish a professional Hebrew course (ulpan) with the Nursing Academic School of Bnei Zion Hospital in Haifa. This ulpan will allow the currently enrolled Russian-speaking student-immigrants to be prepared to complete their studies and become registered nurses. PKI’s connection with these current students will provide us with valuable information and help us identify potential candidates to apply for this full scholarship program of study.