Start Your Medical Career in Cedar Valley, IA

Julie Drewes

Allen College, through its affiliation with UnityPoint Health, allows students to experience real-world health care settings in UnityPoint Health hospitals and clinics.

Hawkeye Community College recently opened Grundy Hall Health Science Center, which houses programs for nursing, dental, respiratory care and more.

Then, there’s the private liberal arts school, Wartburg College, which offers dentistry, medicine, neuroscience and a nursing program, and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), which provides a number of medical tracks, including a new bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program.

And once students graduate, there’s no shortage of health care facilities to keep them in the region.

Julie Drewes

“Our instructors are always communicating job opportunities,” says Genevieve Zimnox, a radiography student at Allen College. “Since our clinical rotations involve numerous clinics and hospitals throughout this area, it gives us a great opportunity to connect with people and places actively hiring. I am confident I can find a career here.”

Live and Learn

Students in the Cedar Valley can find the perfect balance of academic engagement and leisure activities. “Hawkeye has sports teams, a dance team and plenty of other things you can do besides just your schooling,” says Teresa Culpepper, an assistant professor at Hawkeye Community College and a full-time virtual nurse at MercyOne. “The culture and recreational activities here in the Cedar Valley – between museums, theaters, music venues, and even parks and recreation – ensure there’s always something for people to do.”

Muhammad Talha, an international student from Ukraine who is in UNI’s first BSN cohort, is president of the university’s nursing club and a member of UNI’s nursing advisory committee.

“There are a lot of job shadowing opportunities around the Cedar Valley and various CNA (certified nursing assistant) and LPN (licensed practical nurse) courses to take, including some that might be free like the one I’m undergoing offered by Western Home Communities,” Talha says. 

Julie Drewes

He finds time for recreation, too. “I love playing pickleball,” Talha says. “I live close to Orchard Hill Park, and there are nice courts there. We also have great parks and all the activities you need right in the Cedar Valley.”

Zimnox moved to Cedar Falls from South Carolina for her husband’s job, but notes the move benefits her whole family.

“After visiting, we decided Cedar Falls would be a great place to raise our kids,” Zimnox says. “It’s pretty, the people are so nice and the schools are amazing.”

The region offers an affordable cost of living, which is attractive to students and professionals, and keeps many in the region after they graduate.

Study Buddies

Talha studied medicine in Ukraine before having to evacuate due to the war. He notes UNI accepted his previous credits generously, and the community has welcomed him.

“People are friendly here,” Talha says. “For any student coming, whether a domestic student or international student, they will feel welcome and at home.”

Courtesy of Hawkeye Community College

There’s also a connectedness between the students across the different colleges, who often study together.

“I would study with students from Allen and Hawkeye,” says Culpepper, who attended both Hawkeye and Allen College, ultimately receiving a master of science degree in nursing education. “There was one student who had just moved here from Florida, and she was going to take her boards. She just happened to be in Barnes & Noble and asked if she could join our study group. I ended up working with her at MercyOne for six years.”

Career Preparation

Emma Redington, an inpatient counselor at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital and outpatient counselor at Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center, earned a bachelor of social work degree in 2018 and a master of social work degree in 2019, both from UNI. 

“The classroom content and fieldwork, internships and practicums gave me real-world experience and knowledge to succeed,” Redington says. “The professors are all so willing to help each student reach their goals.”

Dedicated teachers empowered Culpepper to start her journey in nursing and teaching. “Even starting out as a new grad, I felt comfortable with what I knew and what I didn’t and was able to communicate what I didn’t so that I could get the things I needed to be a successful nurse,” Culpepper says.

The Cedar Valley region is anchored by strong educational institutions full of dedicated faculty, state-of-the-art labs and supportive cohorts.

“We also have amazing employers here in the Cedar Valley for health careers, and it’s an in-demand job,” Culpepper says.