Nurse residency programs in Iowa.
10 programs across 7 cities — sourced from the ANCC PTAP and Vizient/AACN registries. Always free for nurses.
Residencies in Iowa by specialty
How Iowa compares
Iowa is the 29th-largest of the 50 US states and territories in this directory, with 10 of the 1,144 programs listed in the United States (0.9%).
Accreditation held by Iowa programs: 10 ANCC PTAP — 10 of them accredited with Distinction.
8 are listed for new-graduate RNs and 2 for experienced RNs moving into a new specialty, so an already-licensed nurse looking to switch has 2 to consider.
No program listed in Iowa currently records a track in Critical Care / ICU, Perioperative, Oncology, Cardiac, Psychiatric / Mental Health, Ambulatory, Neonatal, Rehabilitation, Transplant, Labor & Delivery, Telemetry, Women's Health or Trauma. If one of those is your target, you will most likely need to look outside the state.
Comparably sized states in this directory:
Common questions
How many nurse residency programs are there in Iowa?
This directory lists 10 nurse residency and nurse fellowship programs in Iowa, across 7 cities. 10 of them hold ANCC PTAP, Vizient/AACN or CCNE accreditation.
Which cities in Iowa have the most programs?
Cedar Rapids (2), Des Moines (2), Iowa City (2). Programs are concentrated in the larger metros, but smaller hospitals often run cohorts with far less competition for places.
What specialties can I train in as a new grad in Iowa?
The tracks most often listed here are Medical-Surgical, Emergency, Pediatrics. A residency's advertised track is the unit you would be hired into, so it is worth checking the program page for the specific cohort.
Do I have to live in Iowa to apply?
No. Residency programs recruit nationally and most applicants relocate. Licensure is the real constraint: you need a license valid in the program's state before you can start, so check whether that state participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact and how long endorsement takes there.