Long Term Care Schools in Iowa - IA

To start pursing a long term care education in Iowa, you first need to determine what level of education you need.

• Nursing aides and assistants will undergo a 150-hour program that will teach them all they need to know to deal with elderly patients and assist other allied health professionals. They’ll also need to complete a supervised internship, and in Iowa periodically complete continuing education course, and pass continued competency exams.
• Nurses will need to earn at least an associate’s degree in nursing from an accredited online or campus-based school. Though specializing in long term care, a nurse still has to complete all the educational, internship, and graduation requirements normally expected of him or her. This includes earning a passing grade on NCLEX-RN, and completing a practicum. Once they’re fully fledged nurses, they can test to become credentialed the area of long term care.
• Nursing home administrators will most likely want to earn at least a bachelor’s, if not a master’s, in either long term care administration or a business and managerial field. This is a profession where connections and experience are important, so make sure to pursue any work experience opportunities that come your way and really try to network during your classes and internships. You’ll have to pass both a nationally certifying exam, as well as a more intensive one given by the state, to be eligible to practice, and also complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years.