University of Iowa College of Nursing will use funding from the Iowa Workforce Development to expand on its online nurse residency program and create a registered nurse apprenticeship program.

By Kelsey Harrell | The Daily Iowan | 4/16/2019

When newly graduated nurses begin working at health-care organizations, they may need extra support transitioning into their careers. 

Through the Iowa Workforce Development, the University of Iowa College of Nursing received $150,000 to begin a registered-nurse apprenticeship.

The nursing school currently has the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program, which was created in 2014 and partners with health-care organizations across the country to help newly graduated nurses transition into their careers. With the funding from the Iowa Workforce Development, the college will expand the online residency program, adding the apprenticeship program to its repertoire.

Iowa has 82 critical-access hospitals. These hospitals have 25 beds or fewer, making it more difficult for those kinds of hospitals to have residency programs, said Nicole Weathers, the program manager for the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program. The goal of the online residency program is to have a standardized, but adaptable, program for smaller hospitals, she said.

The online residency program has 13 online modules that serve as the core curriculum for the program, Weathers said. The UI provides the curricula and support for the hospitals, and the health-care organization that hires the newly graduated nurses provides on-the-job experience and support for the nurses, she said.

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