FAMILY PLANNING COUNCIL OF IOWA
Nurse Practitioners are nurses who have received advanced training in specialized areas of health care. This advanced training allows nurse practitioners to do more clinical procedures in their specialty area than registered nurses are able to do. For nurse practitioners specializing in women's health care this includes giving physical examinations, testing for cervical cancer, testing for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and other clinical procedures.
The Family Planning Council of Iowa has established a program that trains registered nurses to become nurse practitioners that specialize in women's health care. The Council's program is designed to make it easier for nurses from rural areas to participate in the program. This design allows the nurse to remain in her home community and travel one day a week to central Iowa for classes.
The program lasts for nine months. During that time the students spend one day each week in class in Des Moines. They then spend at least 18 hours of the week in clinical training in their home communities.
This non traditional design has let us increase the number of nurse practitioners providing women's health care in the rural parts of Iowa.
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