DES MOINES, Iowa — Colleges across Iowa are partnering with Des Moines University, the only medical school in Des Moines, to create more opportunities for students seeking medical and healthcare careers.
"It's important for DMU to have an opportunity to partner with universities to provide an opportunity for their students to consider careers in the health professions," said Des Moines University President and CEO Dr. Angela Franklin.
Over the summer, DMU officially signed partnership agreements with Grand View University, Buena Vista University and the University of Northern Iowa to help students interested in health care.
University leaders said the undergrad partnerships with other schools across the state are creating more accessibility to healthcare careers to students.
"So, we give priority to those students who are selected by the undergraduate institution to give them a foot in the door so that they can come to DMU," Franklin said.
While each partnership has some differences, generally they include options for concurrent degrees, guaranteed DMU program interviews and reserved seats in certain programs.
"It just sort of raises the visibility of the possibility of careers in healthcare in a variety of health care professions," said Dr. Carl Moses, provost of Grand View University.
While Grand View University is in Des Moines, the partnerships with UNI and Buena Vista University expand access to students not in the metro.
"I think it's really important to have a partnership like this because it makes a very clear path forward for the students, it makes it a lot easier for them to see, here's how I go and become a doctor,” said Buena Vista University President Dr. Brian Lenzmeier. “It takes a lot of the concern out of what happens after I get done at BVU."
University administrators also see the partnerships as a pathway to keeping educated professionals in the state of Iowa.
"By contributing students from UNI to DMU, I think it definitely goes towards helping build our workforce of career health professionals, especially in areas where there's a desperate need within the state,” said Dr. Brenda Bass, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UNI.
DMU has had other long-standing partnerships with some other schools, including Drake University.