Student Life

Association of Graduate Nursing Students (AGNS)

The College of Nursing Association of Graduate Nursing Students (AGN) enables graduate students to have a voice in issues important to their experience at the University of Iowa, and as future leaders of the nursing profession. AGNS also nominates student representatives to serve on the College of Nursing Academic Council and on the University Graduate Student Senate.

Membership is conferred on all MSN and PhD students upon admission to the College of Nursing.

AGNS 2006-07 Co-chairs: Tom Blodgett, Nathan Gross, and Anne Lash 

Tom Blodgett is a second year student in the Doctor of Philosophy program with an emphasis on testing nursing interventions for hospitalized older adults to reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections. He is also part-time adult and gerontology area clinical faculty in the undergraduate program and works in staff relief for the General Medicine inpatient unit at 6RCW in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He says as PhD student representative of the Association of Graduate Nursing Students his interests are to improve communication between doctoral students and faculty advisors/mentors, improve University-wide recognition of doctoral student accomplishments, identify perceived needs of doctoral students regarding professional and academic development, and to assist the graduate program office with revision of the Graduate Student Handbook. He currently represents PhD students on Academic Council. 

Representing MSN students is Nathan Gross who earned an ADN degree from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and a BSN degree from the University of Iowa. He is working on an MSN degree in Occupational Health Nursing. His work experience has been in long-term care and occupational health. He is currently an occupational health nurse for Amana Refrigeration Products (Whirlpool).

MSN co-chair Anne Lash is a psychiatric nurse in pursuit of a Master of Nursing in Psychiatry. After obtaining a bachelors degree in 2003 from Allen College she moved to Baltimore, where she worked for two years in a child/adolescent psych inpatient unit. She currently resides and works in Des Moines, where she has worked in many adult outpatient and inpatient settings. She commutes to Iowa City for class.