Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program

03/02/2026

NEW BLOG! 🌿 Creating Healthy Work Environments in Nursing

This month, Nicole dives into a topic that impacts every nurse and every healthcare organization: what healthy work environments truly look like—and how we bring them to life through everyday practice.

She also sits down with Rebekah Marsh, President of American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), for an inspiring conversation in this month’s Beyond Nurse Residency podcast (Episode 3) about how evidence‑based standards can support nurse wellbeing, engagement, and retention.

Read the March blog here 👇
https://bit.ly/4kY1j0l

03/01/2026

🎙️ New Episode Premieres March 1st!

Season 3, Episode 3 of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast features a powerful conversation with Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN, President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Together, Rebekah and host Nicole Weathers explore what truly makes a healthy work environment—and how these evidence-based standards improve engagement, retention, satisfaction, and patient outcomes.

Whether you're a leader, educator, preceptor, or new graduate nurse, this episode offers clear steps and real inspiration for creating stronger, more collaborative teams.

🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/3N47vYj
💬 Share with someone who cares about building better environments for nurses!

02/27/2026

🚀 Start Strong with Nurse Residency Support

Our next Online Nurse Residency cohort begins this April — and enrollment closes April 3, 2026!

Partner with us before hiring your new graduate nurses to ensure a seamless transition from onboarding through orientation and residency. The Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program (IONRP) offers two flexible delivery options to help every facility succeed:

✨ Online – A virtual program designed for facilities without established residency infrastructure.
✨ Blended – Online learning paired with on‑site discussion groups led by your own residency coordinator.

No matter which format you choose, your new nurses receive the structured support they need for a confident transition into practice.

➡️ Learn more & enroll your facility today: https://bit.ly/46gjCpd

02/26/2026

We’re excited to share that the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program will be an exhibitor at the 2026 ANPD Aspire Convention in Louisville, KY! Join us March 23–27 and stop by Booth 412 to meet our site coordinators, Jess Ociepka and Amanda Bruscher.

We’re also proud to highlight that our Director, Nicole Weathers, will be presenting her session:
Racing Toward Retention: An Organizational Framework for Nurse Engagement
📅 Friday, March 27, 2026
⏰ 9:00–10:00 AM ET

Nicole’s session explores a comprehensive framework designed to support nurses’ evolving needs through competency, safety, belonging, and esteem—powered by human, social, and psychological capital.

We can’t wait to reconnect with NPD practitioners from around the country. Will you be there?

Register here: http://www.anpd.org/aspire

02/25/2026

What does it really take to build a healthy nursing culture?

In this month’s blog, Nicole Weathers looks beyond buzzwords and digs into the structural foundation that makes engagement possible—clear roles, strong systems, intentional development, and leaders who have the time and support to connect with their teams.

Plus: insights from Dr. Dan Lose on why infrastructure is at the heart of every thriving unit.

Read the full story here ⬇️
https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp/blog/strong-infrastructure

02/25/2026

02/24/2026

ICYMI - FEB Newsletter

The Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program just dropped our February 2026 newsletter, and this month is packed with exciting updates!

First up — our 2025 Annual Report is officially published and now live on our website. We’re proud to share the growth, impact, and stories that shaped this past year. 💛📊

Inside this month’s newsletter, you’ll also find:
📝 Blog post
🎧 An episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency podcast
💻 Updates from our online + blended residency programs
🌟 Spotlights featuring one of our incredible residents and a participating facility
🌐 And a look ahead to the Conference coming up in March!

There’s lots to explore — take a look:
🔗 Read the February Newsletter: https://conta.cc/45LXSUo

02/23/2026

Free Preceptor Training for Iowa Nurses!

We’re excited to launch the new and improved Supporting Nurses: Training for Preceptors, Mentors, and Clinical Coaches 2025 — now available at no cost to nurses in Iowa!

In collaboration with the Midwest Clinical Instruction Regional Network (MCIRN), this updated training offers enhanced content, tools, and support for those guiding the next generation of nurses.

Bonus Opportunity!
Graduates of the Supporting Nurses course can apply for the MCIRN Advanced Preceptor Fellowship — a prestigious program offering:

• 29 continuing education hours
• A stipend
• Advanced training for experienced preceptors

👉 Learn more and enroll here: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/IONRP/MCIRNCollaboration

02/22/2026

February episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast!

Nicole sits down with Dr. Dan Lose, a highly respected nurse leader with powerful insights into what actually helps new nurses thrive. They discuss healthy work environments, leadership structures that matter, night‑shift realities, psychological safety, and why relationships—not checklists—drive engagement.

If you’re passionate about supporting new nurses, strengthening teamwork, or improving unit culture, you won’t want to miss this one. 💛

🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/4qJWWbv

👇 About our guest
Dr. Dan Lose, DNP, RN, CNML, serves as the Acute Adult Director at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids. He’s known for his collaborative, people‑centered leadership, his commitment to developing future nurse leaders, and his national work redesigning roles to better support clinical teams.

Give it a listen and share your biggest takeaway with us!

02/19/2026

📣 Iowa Rural Health Voices in Washington, D.C.

Nicole Weathers, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, Director of the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program, recently joined fellow members of the Iowa Rural Health Association at the National Rural Health Association’s 37th Rural Health Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.

Alongside rural leaders from across Iowa, Nicole met with federal agency officials and Congressional representatives to highlight the real challenges and opportunities facing rural clinicians, hospitals, and communities. From workforce needs to technology and payment reform, the conversations reflected the realities that nurses and rural facilities navigate every day.

Nicole shared:
“Returning to the Policy Institute for the 2nd year reminded me how important it is for Iowa’s rural nursing voice to be part of the conversation… It reinforced that what we’re doing in rural Iowa matters, and that our voice is needed in shaping the policies that affect us.”

IONRP is proud to support the rural nursing workforce and contribute to ongoing advocacy that strengthens access and outcomes for rural communities.

👉 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4tCUFRb