Iowa State University College of Health and Human Sciences and DMACC President Rob Denson, right, signed an agreement on Oct. 23, 2024 to launch a 3+1 nursing program for students. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Shelby Irwin knew she wanted to become a nurse after helping to take care of her grandmother, who had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Des Moines Area Community College nursing student said she realized that if she could help her own family deal with illness, then with time she could learn to help others going through similar situations. She will graduate with her RN licensure in May, after which she plans to utilize a new 3+1 nursing agreement between DMACC and Iowa State University to earn her bachelor’s degree.
“I live in Madrid, so I can drive 20 minutes and be at Iowa State and talk to somebody and use the library or use (other resources),” Irwin said. “The fact that Iowa State is so close, and they have so much that we can utilize, it’s honestly a game changer compared to other universities.”
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The community college and four-year university signed an articulation agreement on the new program Wednesday, creating a pathway for DMACC students to easily transfer and earn their bachelor of science in nursing through a combination of online classes and in-person experiences at ISU.
DMACC Health & Public Services Executive Academic Dean Jeanie McCarville-Kerber said a transfer program between DMACC and ISU has been under discussion since 2018, with staff from both institutions working together to develop the best curriculum and pathway for students. The 3+1 program will be available to nursing students starting in fall 2025.
“The health care system is desperately in need of trained nurses, and this partnership with DMACC and Iowa State is just one more way that our institutions are answering the needs of Iowans and the communities in which we live,” McCarville-Kerber said.
With the new partnership, DMACC nursing students will spend three years at the community college completing their associate of applied science in nursing degree, taking courses developed for the program that align with both institutions’ standards, said Laura Jolly, dean of ISU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
Once they’ve graduated from DMACC, students must take and pass the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurse Licensure in order to qualify for the transfer to ISU. Their last year of the program will take place mostly online through ISU, with some in-person requirements.
Irwin said as a student who struggles with online education, the combination of both online and in-person work will help her get more access to resources and campus offerings. ISU Director of Nursing Education Dawn Bowker said the hybrid learning will also allow students to work in the field while finishing their schooling.
In addition to the flexibility the 3+1 program provides, Bowker said students will have opportunities to sign up for practicum experiences in the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and Oslo, Norway.
Bowker said research shows that nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree have improved patient outcomes, decreased medication errors and decreased mortality rates. ISU’s program has a 94% completion rate, she said, compared to the national rate of 60%.
“We’ve heard from our partners about our BSN program and about our students coming from DMACC to Iowa State that our nursing programs are not just a checkbox program,” Jolly said. “When our students come in and graduate with the Iowa State’s RN to BSN, they’re transformed in how they approach patient care.”
This fall DMACC restructured its nursing program, DMACC Director of Nursing Education Natalia Thilges said, combining its previously standalone associate nursing degree and practical nursing program into a “ladder program.” Now students will first take prerequisite courses then take a year of practical nursing courses and, if they qualify, move ahead to a year of associate nursing degree courses.
DMACC also holds a 3+1 program agreement with the University of Iowa for nursing, Thilges said, which they are currently working to modify in order for it to work with the new structure and partnership with ISU.
More than 400 students are currently enrolled in DMACC’s nursing program, which DMACC President Rob Denson said is one of the largest in the state. ISU is the community college’s top transfer institution.
DMACC and ISU have a long history of supporting each other through partnerships, Denson said, starting as far back as 2006 with the signing of their first transfer agreement. The schools also have partnerships for fashion design, cybersecurity and supply chain management, and DMACC students get additional supports when they attend ISU due to the DMACC-ISU Connect program.
“We’re very proud that Iowa State has always been aggressive in supporting our students as they continue to grow, and over the years, we know that a lot of transcripts come out of DMACC every year to Iowa State for students that are heading that direction,” Denson said. “It is in this continued spirit of cooperation and an emphasis on student success that we know that we can assist the state of Iowa in receiving more qualified nurses in such a high-demand profession.”
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