A. Minimum Computer Requirements

Students will need the following at minimum:

• Either a Microsoft Windows or Apple Computer (desktop or laptop allowed)
• 13-inch screen
• 256 GB SSD
• 16 GB RAM
• Microphone and videocam (headset or integrated into laptop)

B. Statistics Prerequisite Course Required

Each program has specific prerequisite courses outlined in the General Catalog.

C. Guidelines for Graduate Transfer Courses

PhD students: Also see the section specific to PhD students for transfer criteria and documentation.

Graduate students should have all transfer courses approved by the College of Nursing Felton Student Success Center prior to enrolling in transfer coursework. Course descriptions or syllabi may be submitted for review. (Please note that the syllabus should include the following: the name of the college or university, the name and number of the course, the name of the textbook which accompanies the course, a topical outline of the course content, objectives, credit hours, any prerequisite courses, and the name of the instructor.) Credit for courses taken outside the University of Iowa prior to admission to the graduate program and/or during the graduate program must also be approved by the University of Iowa Graduate Admissions Office. If taking a course during your program of study, get the course approved by the staff in the College of Nursing Felton Student Success Center before registering for the course. Approval will be entered on the student’s permanent record.

The following guidelines apply to graduate transfer courses:

1. The course must be graduate-level according to the issuing institution’s course-numbering system, and the institution must be accredited. The University will not accept transfer credits from a non-accredited institution.
2. The student must enroll as a graduate student and pay graduate tuition.
3. Upon completion of the course, the course number, name, credits, and grade must appear on an official graduate transcript from the issuing institution.
4. A course taken for undergraduate credit may not be applied to a graduate degree. Courses from 2-year and 4-year schools without graduate offerings may not be applied to a graduate degree.
5. Courses that are offered for undergraduate credit only (e.g., courses numbered 0000-2999 at the University of Iowa) may not be counted as graduate credit.
6. Students must meet the Academic Registration Requirement for graduation from the Graduate College at the University of Iowa. Non-resident credit would include credit earned for transfer courses, correspondence courses, and credit earned under special student status. See Graduate College Rules and Regulations for more information. [MSN students, see Section X.D.1; DNP and PhD students, see Section XII.C]

D. Coursework Over 10 Years Old

Students can request courses over 10 years old to be counted toward their final semester hours. The letter will be prepared by the College of Nursing Felton Student Success Center and submitted to the Dean of the Graduate College for approval.

E. Nursing Licensure

All DNP, MSN: CNL and NSA, and PGC students in the College of Nursing must hold a current and valid nursing license and must provide proof of this licensure. Students will upload their license into CastleBranch.

A student will not be admitted to our program or permitted to engage in a clinical course if the student:

• Has been denied licensure by the board, and/or
• Whose license is currently suspended, surrendered, or revoked in any United States jurisdiction, and/or
• Whose license/registration is currently suspended, surrendered, or revoked in another
  country due to disciplinary action

F. Insurance

All students, except for those listed below, in the College of Nursing must show annual verification that they have obtained and currently hold professional liability insurance with coverage of at least $1,000,000 single occurrence limit and $3,000,000 aggregate. Students will upload their proof of liability into CastleBranch. This requirement serves both as an act of professionalism and to protect students’ personal assets. Professional liability insurance covers error, negligence, or omission that may occur during the practice of nursing. It pays for court costs and legal fees whether individuals are liable for the charges made against them.

Exception: Post-MSN-DNP and PhD students. Upon further counsel with the University of Iowa Legal Services and Risk Management, we have determined that personal professional liability insurance can be waived IF, as a student, you have NO clinical engagement.

Post-MSN-DNP students: Please note that clinical engagement could include your capstone project. Please consult with your advisor prior to beginning any work on your project.

G. Mandatory Health Insurance

All students in the College of Nursing must show annual verification of valid health insurance coverage. Proof of insurance must be provided to the University of Iowa Benefits Office to avoid being charged for student insurance. For more information, visit the Grad Students and Health Science Majors Benefits webpage.

H. Health and Clinical Requirements

The University of Iowa requires all health science students to provide documentation of specific immunizations. In addition, College of Nursing students participate in many clinical experiences and must comply with the standards agreed upon by our clinical partners. Students are expected to provide documented proof of the health requirements found through the website links below upon acceptance into the College. Documented proof must be sent to Student Health as well as uploaded into CastleBranch. The College of Nursing contracts with CastleBranch, for students to order their own background checks and Iowa Child and Adult Abuse registries online. Failure to have current information in the tracker system will result in blocking or voiding your registration as well as blocking you from beginning your clinical hours.

Please see the following links for Health and Clinical Requirements:

• DNP and PGC: DNP-Health & Clinical Requirements
• MSN: MSN-Health & Clinical Requirements
• PhD: PhD- Health & Clinical Requirements

For any questions regarding clinical requirements, please call the Graduate Programs Student Services Office at 319-467-1910 or the Clinical Program Coordinator 319-335-7069.

I. Requirements for Human Subjects Research

All externally funded research projects by Iowa faculty and staff and all student research projects are reviewed for protection of human subjects by the appropriate University of Iowa Institutional Review Board (IRB 01) and are certified as acceptable to NIH under FWA00003007. Each funded or non-funded project receives an IRB Review number or is designated as exempt, after appropriate IRB screening. This IRB approval must be received prior to initiation of data collection.

The College of Nursing requires that all graduate students submit proof that the IRB review was completed and what the determination was (i.e., exempt). This documentation must be submitted to the College of Nursing Felton Student Success Center prior to beginning the project or dissertation process.

All proposals are submitted to the Human Subjects Office using the Hawk IRB tool, which can be found on the HSO website.

NOTE: Graduate students must have their proposals approved by their project or dissertation committee before submitting a HawkIRB application.

Agency Approval

For each research project, the appropriate agency approval must be obtained.

• If research is based at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), agency approval must be obtained from the UIHC Nursing Service through its Nursing Research Committee (NRC). NRC approval must be granted before Committee A will give final approval.
• If funded or non-funded research is conducted off-campus, agency approval must be obtained before Committees 01 or 02 will grant final Human Subjects approval. An agency approval form may be used, or this can be indicated by an agency letter.

Special Situations

• VAMC (Iowa City): Approval for research involving nursing service and/or nursing care delivery must be obtained from the Associate Director, Patient Care Services, 338-0581, Ext. 6104, or VAMC Patient Care Services 002.
• School systems: If research is to be conducted in Iowa public/private schools (K-12), consent must be obtained from the Cooperating Schools Program before final IRB approval. More information is at the CSP website.

All necessary forms for submissions to Committees 01 or 02, NRC, and VA R&D Office are available on the Human Subjects Office website. If you have any questions, feel free to talk to the Office for Nursing Research and Scholarship (ONRS) staff on the 4th floor of the College of Nursing Building.

DNP Students: Refer to the Doctor of Nursing Practice Project course sites for directions and appropriate forms.