ANKENY, Iowa — A new partnership between two Iowa educational institutions is looking to better support future nurses.
Leaders from Iowa State University and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) jointly signed a new nursing agreement Wednesday morning on DMACC's Ankeny campus.
The agreement allows DMACC nursing students with an Associated of Applied Science degree that pass national licensing to continue at Iowa State and earn their Bachelor of Nursing in a single year.
"Nurses are essential to our health care system and play a critical role in patient care and outcomes," DMACC Executive Academic Dean of Health & Public Services Dr. Jeanie McCarville-Kerber said in a statement. "DMACC is proud to work together with ISU in preparing the next generation of nurses."
The schools aim to keep licensed nurses to pursue a bachelor's degree without leaving the state and still getting to work in the field. The partnership comes as the nation is facing a nursing shortage.
"We are providing a pathway for registered nurses to earn their BSN, which will lead to more highly skilled nurses entering the workforce this decade," Iowa State University Director of Nursing Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Dawn Bowker said in a statement. "Ultimately, patients will benefit. Research has shown that improved patient outcomes are associated with nurses with bachelor’s degrees, including lower mortality rates and fewer medication errors."
Drake University also recently announced an accelerated nursing program to help fill a void in nursing education.
