Nurse Leaders an Emerging Role in the Field

More Iowa programs preparing nurses for the role, aimed at improving quality and safety

Special to the Register | By Estela Villanueva-Whitman

Two Iowa nursing schools are doing their part to train clinical nurse leaders, an emerging role poised to improve quality and safety in patient care.

Grand View University in Des Moines and the University of Iowa in Iowa City both offer master’s degree programs to prepare nurses for the role. Currently, 1,926 clinical nurse leaders are practicing in the United States. In the Midwest, there are 410 such leaders.

The concept was developed by the American Academy of Colleges of Nurses in collaboration with educators and employers, with the first program offered in 2004.

The University of Iowa College of Nursing was among the first to offer such a program. Carol Watson, program coordinator, said the role focuses on units or departments within a health system, looking at a population of patients.

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