Iowa hospitals and healthcare institutions have hired increasing numbers of master's-prepared nurses in recent years - and are beginning to see the benefits of employing highly educated nurses. According to a case study by the Commonwealth Fund, Mercy Medical Center, one of the state's largest systems, discovered that investing in advanced practice nurses was one of the factors in improving patient care and decreasing re-admissions. There, advanced practice nurses are the core of a care management program; they monitor national guidelines and work with hospital staff to implement evidence-based care that's known to improve health outcomes.
The Iowa Board of Nursing officially classifies advanced practice nurses as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs), a designation that includes clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). A nurse must have completed an MSN degree or formal advanced practice education program and obtain national specialty certification to be licensed as an ARNP in Iowa.
Professional organizations for MSN-prepared nurses in Iowa include the Iowa Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Iowa Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Iowa Nurse Practitioner Society and the Iowa Nurses Association.
MSN programs for Iowa nurses include:
- Allen College. Located in Waterloo, Allen offers an online RN-to-MSN program for nurses interested in pursuing advanced nursing education. All nursing coursework is offered online; general coursework may be completed at almost any accredited institution and transferred to Allen. Clinicals can be completed close to home. MSN-students at Allen can choose from nurse practitioner, nurse education or nurse leadership tracks.
- University of Iowa. U of Iowa offers a primarily online Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) MSN program. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, CNLs "oversee the care coordination for patients, assess risks, develop quality improvement strategies, facilitate team communication, and implement evidence-based solutions at the unit level."
