About Us

The purpose of the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC) is to address issues of supply and demand in the nursing profession, including issues of recruitment, retention, and utilization of nurse manpower resources.  The goals include:

• To develop a strategic plan for nursing manpower in Illinois by selecting priorities that must be addressed.
• To convene various groups of representatives of nurses, other health care providers, businesses and industries, consumers, legislators, and educators to:
  • Review and comment on data analysis prepared for the Center.
  • Recommend systemic changes, including strategies for implementation of recommended changes.
• To enhance and promote recognition, reward, and renewal activities for nurses in Illinois by:
  • Proposing and creating reward, recognition, and renewal activities for nursing.
  • Promoting media and positive image-building efforts for nursing.
     

The Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC) collects data with license renewal for LPNs, RNs, APRNs, and FPA-APRNs; collection is voluntary post renewal and post verification of renewal. Reports created with data collected with license renewal since 2014 includes recommendations for change. 
 

The Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC) works with state agencies, to focus efforts on the Illinois nursing workforce.  Since FY08 there has been a partnership with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE).  The IBHE Nurse Faculty Fellowship, a $10,000 salary stipend, and the IBHE Nursing Education grants to baccalaureate completion and pre-licensure nursing education programs.  The nursing scholarship is currently administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and funded from the Nursing Dedicated Fund, nurse license renewal fees.
 

The Nursing Workforce Center routinely partners with the Illinois Board of Nursing (BON) to both create and distribute information about license renewal and changes in the Nurse Practice Act (NPA). For example, on the INWC website are lists of Illinois Nursing education programs, both pre and post-licensure, with links to each program.  Post-licensure includes a grid of which schools focus on graduate specialty program roles. Also, they have 100% online or close to 100% online curriculum for RN-BSN completion programs.