Benefits of Being a Nurse
Our educational opportunities
UI Health Care offers a range of educational opportunities for you to explore your professional interests and make the most of your career.
We have agreements in place with several professional nursing certification bodies to pay towards, if not fully for, application fees for certifications.
Nurses also have free access to several online certification review courses, a lending library for study materials, and colleagues and mentors serving as certification champions to help them reach their certification goals.
We offer nurses reimbursement for one professional nursing certification renewal up to $300 each fiscal year. Additionally, nurses covered by the SEIU bargaining unit are eligible for an annual $500 bonus for maintaining professional nursing certification.
As Iowa Board of Nursing-approved Provider #34, we offer continuing education units (CEU) for free or low cost to support re-licensure in the state of Iowa. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) continuing education contact hours are also available and awarded for programs conducted with the jointly accredited provider partnership on the UI health sciences campus.
The Nurse Residency Program is a transition into practice for new graduate nurses starting their career with UI Health Care. The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
The Experienced Nurse Fellowship Program is designed to help experienced nurses transition to an acute care nurse position with UI Health Care. This program is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.
The Nursing Clinical Education Center (NCEC) is a joint venture of the Department of Nursing Services and Patient Care and the UI College of Nursing. Classes are taught by practicing clinicians, nurse educators, and faculty. The center's philosophy is that lifelong learning is essential for nurses to maintain and increase competence in nursing practice.
The NCEC brings together the expertise of practicing clinicians, nurse educators, and faculty focused on providing the best nursing education for all levels of learners. The center includes an 11-room clinical simulation lab, three classrooms, two conference rooms, a computer lab, library, and several informal gathering spaces. The NCEC is a learning hub for nursing staff that is used for:
- Orientation
- In-service education
- Continuing education
- Leadership development
- Skills training
- Simulation training
- Competency assessment
- Clinical affiliations
- Consultation/educational experiences
Nurses are eligible for scholarships and awards for schooling or professional development (amounts are all prior to taxes).
- Nurses Week Awards (offered each May):
- Be Inspired! Scholarship Award Program ($250 or variable)
- Charmaine Kleiber Excellence in Pediatric Nursing Research-to-Practice Award ($1,000)
- Nursing Excellence in Clinical Education Award ($1,000)
- Nursing Excellence in Clinical Practice Award to Advance Graduate Nursing Education ($2,500)
- Sally Mathis Hartwig Graduate Nursing Scholarship (variable)
The Department of Nursing Services and Patient Care provides tuition reimbursement three times a year (spring, summer, and fall semesters) for up to a total of $3,000 per year:
- RN-to-BSN program: $1,000 toward one nursing class/semester; eligible for the next course taken after starting with UI Health Care.
- Graduate level nursing degree or related degree in health care, or master’s in business administration degree: $1,000 toward one class/semester, eligible after one-year RN tenure with UI Health Care.
- We have tuition reduction agreements with eight nursing schools.
- Nurses who receive tuition reimbursement remain eligible for certification assistance.
Our collaboration
Collaboration is at the heart of our practice, which is why we make it easy for our nurses to find support and have their voices heard.
A shared governance model has been in place since 1975 to facilitate participation in decision-making processes, promote collegial relationships, and generate consensus in professional nursing practice matters.
Departmental committees and councils meet regularly to guide and make decisions supporting autonomous nursing practice. This means you will have the opportunity to give feedback, identify challenges, and help find solutions. Many of the shared governance groups are interprofessional—you will work with other clinical care team members to determine what is best for patients and practice.
Nurses share decision-making responsibilities at the unit, division, department, and organizational levels through a shared governance structure. Nurses are members of hospital advisory committees; they participate in unit-based committees; they help design unit-based care-delivery models; and they participate in unit-based interprofessional care councils, sharing decision-making responsibilities.
We are committed to a culture focused on teamwork and shared governance. You’ll notice the difference immediately as you participate in orientation and are invited to partner with nurse mentors.
You’ll also have access to experts within your field and the opportunity to advance your career through formal educational opportunities:
- New graduates receive a year-long mentoring experience that successfully introduces them to the nursing care team and provides opportunities for additional experience and learning.
- Experienced nurses can participate in a fellowship program to support the successful transition to a new team and extend opportunities for advancement.
- All nurses benefit from a generous hospital-wide professional recognition program.
You have your team’s support when you decide to formally add a certification to your credentials. Your team has built a pathway for you to achieve certifications while on the job. In turn, you will have the opportunity to serve as a preceptor for other nurses and students interested in following your path.
Additional resources for nurses
Looking for more information about a nursing career with UI Health Care? View our resource pages to learn more.
Join our team
UI Health Care is always looking for dedicated nurses to join our team. Don’t wait—apply today to launch a meaningful career at Iowa’s top hospital.
Awards and Recognition
