261.129   Iowa needs nurses now initiative — repeal.
  1.  Nurse educator incentive payment program.
  a.  The commission shall establish a nurse educator incentive payment program. Funding for the program may be provided through the health care workforce shortage fund or the health care professional and Iowa needs nurses now initiative account created in section 135.175. For the purposes of this subsection, “nurse educator” means a registered nurse who holds a master’s degree or doctorate degree and is employed as a faculty member who teaches nursing in a nursing education program as provided in 655 IAC 2.6 at a community college, an accredited private institution, or an institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents.
  b.  The program shall consist of incentive payments to recruit and retain nurse educators. The program shall provide for incentive payments of up to twenty thousand dollars for a nurse educator who remains teaching in a qualifying teaching position for a period of not less than four consecutive academic years.
  c.  The nurse educator and the commission shall enter into an agreement specifying the obligations of the nurse educator and the commission. If the nurse educator leaves the qualifying teaching position prior to teaching for four consecutive academic years, the nurse educator shall be liable to repay the incentive payment amount to the state, plus interest as specified by rule. However, if the nurse educator leaves the qualifying teaching position involuntarily, the nurse educator shall be liable to repay only a pro rata amount of the incentive payment based on incompleted years of service.
  d.  The commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the board of nursing, the department of education, and the Iowa nurses association, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A relating to the establishment and administration of the nurse educator incentive payment program. The rules shall include provisions specifying what constitutes a qualifying teaching position.
  2.  Nursing faculty fellowship program.
  a.  The commission shall establish a nursing faculty fellowship program to provide funds to nursing schools in the state, including but not limited to nursing schools located at community colleges, for fellowships for individuals employed in qualifying positions on the nursing faculty. Funding for the program may be provided through the health care workforce shortage fund or the health care professional and the Iowa needs nurses now initiative account created in section 135.175. The program shall be designed to assist nursing schools in filling vacancies in qualifying positions throughout the state.
  b.  The commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the board of nursing, the department of education, and the Iowa nurses association, and in cooperation with nursing schools throughout the state, shall develop a distribution formula which shall provide that no more than thirty percent of the available moneys are awarded to a single nursing school. Additionally, the program shall limit funding for a qualifying position in a nursing school to no more than ten thousand dollars per year for up to three years.
  c.  The commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the board of nursing, the department of education, and the Iowa nurses association, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer the program. The rules shall include provisions specifying what constitutes a qualifying position at a nursing school.
  d.  In determining eligibility for a fellowship, the commission shall consider all of the following:
  (1)  The length of time a qualifying position has gone unfilled at a nursing school.
  (2)  Documented recruiting efforts by a nursing school.
  (3)  The geographic location of a nursing school.
  (4)  The type of nursing program offered at the nursing school, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees in nursing, and the need for the specific nursing program in the state.
  3.  Nurse educator scholarship program.
  a.  The commission shall establish a nurse educator scholarship program. Funding for the program may be provided through the health care workforce shortage fund or the health care professional and the Iowa needs nurses now initiative account created in section 135.175. The goal of the nurse educator scholarship program is to address the waiting list of qualified applicants to Iowa’s nursing schools by providing incentives for the training of additional nursing educators. For the purposes of this subsection, “nurse educator” means a registered nurse who holds a master’s degree or doctorate degree and is employed as a faculty member who teaches nursing in a nursing education program as provided in 655 IAC 2.6 at a community college, an accredited private institution, or an institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents.
  b.  The program shall consist of scholarships to further advance the education of nurses to become nurse educators. The program shall provide for scholarship payments in an amount established by rule for students who are preparing to teach in qualifying teaching positions.
  c.  The commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the board of nursing, the department of education, and the Iowa nurses association, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A relating to the establishment and administration of the nurse educator scholarship program. The rules shall include provisions specifying what constitutes a qualifying teaching position and the amount of any scholarship.
  4.  Nurse educator scholarship-in-exchange-for-service program.
  a.  The commission shall establish a nurse educator scholarship-in-exchange-for-service program. Funding for the program may be provided through the health care workforce shortage fund or the health care professional and Iowa needs nurses now initiative account created in section 135.175. The goal of the nurse educator scholarship-in-exchange-for-service program is to address the waiting list of qualified applicants to Iowa’s nursing schools by providing incentives for the education of additional nursing educators. For the purposes of this subsection, “nurse educator” means a registered nurse who holds a master’s degree or doctorate degree and is employed as a faculty member who teaches nursing in a nursing education program as provided in 655 IAC 2.6 at a community college, an accredited private institution, or an institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents.
  b.  The program shall consist of scholarships to further advance the education of nurses to become nurse educators. The program shall provide for scholarship-in-exchange-for-service payments in an amount established by rule for students who are preparing to teach in qualifying teaching positions for a period of not less than four consecutive academic years. 
  c.  The scholarship-in-exchange-for-service recipient and the commission shall enter into an agreement specifying the obligations of the applicant and the commission. If the nurse educator leaves the qualifying teaching position prior to teaching for four consecutive academic years, the nurse educator shall be liable to repay the scholarship-in-exchange-for-service amount to the state plus interest as specified by rule. However, if the nurse educator leaves the qualified teaching position involuntarily, the nurse educator shall be liable to repay only a pro rata amount of the scholarship based on incomplete years of service.
  d.  The receipt of a nurse educator scholarship-in-exchange-for-service shall not impact eligibility of an individual for other financial incentives including but not limited to loan forgiveness programs.
  e.  The commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the board of nursing, the department of education, and the Iowa nurses association, shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A relating to the establishment and administration of the nurse educator scholarship-in-exchange-for-service program. The rules shall include the provisions specifying what constitutes a qualifying teaching position and the amount of any scholarship-in-exchange-for-service.
  5.  Repeal.  This section is repealed June 30, 2014.
2009 Acts, ch 118, §52, 54; 2010 Acts, ch 1147, §10, 13

Implementation of section, and 2010 amendments thereto, conditioned upon availability of funding; 2009 Acts, ch 118, §54; 2010 Acts, ch 1147, §13