The Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program (IONRP) and Simulation in Motion–Iowa were recently named 2025 Edge Runners by the American Academy of Nursing. With this elite designation, the programs are recognized as two of the most innovative and transformative nurse-designed models in the country. Edge Runners are models of care that reduce cost, improve health care quality, advance health equity, and enhance consumer satisfaction. Each of the five programs selected this year highlights nurses’ resourcefulness, leadership, determination, and collaboration. 

Over 25 percent of new graduate nurses leave their first job within the first year. Nurse residency programs are shown to improve retention rates, but they are typically based in large urban areas. The IONRP is the fi rst fully online transition-to-practice program designed to support new nurses in rural and underserved areas. By providing a standardized, evidence- based curriculum and supportive resources, the program helps bridge formal educational preparation with practice. This model ensures that more new graduate nurses have the foundational skills needed for a long and thriving career regardless of where they start. Using a hub-and-spoke model, new nurses receive online education, peer support, and practical application guided by organizational leaders and preceptors. 

IONRP was created in response to recommendations from the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health." After the report came out, the Iowa Action Coalition, co-led by College of Nursing Dean Rita Frantz, set a goal to create an affordable, online nurse residency program accessible to new-graduate nurses, regardless of the practice setting. IONRP launched in 2014, with Nicole Weathers (25DNP, 06BSN) as director. Ten year later, thanks in no small part to Weathers’ leadership, the program has expanded to 54 organizations across 13 states.

► Read more from the 2025 Iowa Nursing magazine