The Cass Health Nurse Apprenticeship Program is a highly competitive and unique experience that provides students with a variety of clinical experiences, alleviates the financial burden of higher education, and provides a support system before and during nursing school.

Our goal is to develop well-rounded Registered Nurses who are prepared both academically and socially to enter the work force.

The Nurse Apprenticeship Program

• Pays for tuition, books, fees, and supplies
• Earn as you learn — 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training
• Provides salary increases as you progress in school
• Offers support as you navigate higher education
• Delivers real-life patient care experiences

Entrance Requirements

• Completed all nursing program prerequisites by Fall 2025
  • Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 — must earn a "B" or higher
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Comp 1
• Actively pursuing admission to the nursing program at Iowa Western Community College
• Successfully passed the TEAS Test
• Completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Application Process & Timeline

• Applications open in January 2025
• Applications close on Friday, February 28, 2025
• Interviews will be held in March 2025
• Apprentices selected and announced in April 2025
• Apprentices begin working at Cass Health in July 2025

How It Works

Apprentices are students at Iowa Western Community College, however, all of the nursing courses are online and taught by the same Cass Health employees that work regularly with apprentices. Additionally, all clinical rotations and required hands-on experience are also held at Cass Health.

Apprentices are hired as occasional employees, which gives them flexibility to manage classes, homework, and studying all alongside scheduled hours of work to fulfill the 2,000 hours of on-the-job training. Apprentices are paid for the hours they work, and they are eligible for pay increases as they reach milestones throughout the apprenticeship program, such as when they earn their LPN.

Support & Mentorship

Whether you have questions about the apprenticeship program, applying for financial aid, or nursing careers — we have staff ready to help. All apprentices are also assigned a mentor, so that you have another go-to source for help throughout nursing school.

Good to Know

Because of the structure of the apprenticeship program, it is critical that all apprentices stay on track with their courses and pass their classes. Failure to pass a class, dropping a class, or otherwise getting off track for the two-year program, will result in the apprenticeship being removed from the program, thus ending their employment at Cass Health.

After graduation from IWCC and the apprenticeship program, there is no service requirement to continue working at Cass Health; nor is there a guarantee of employment at Cass Health. Graduates are welcome to apply for open positions at Cass Health.

Nurse Apprenticeship Podcast

Listen to this episode of The Cass Health Podcast to learn more about the apprenticeship and meet the team working behind-the-scenes to support our students.

Ready to apply?

To begin the online application process, click on "Search Current Openings." You'll be redirected to our Careers page and online application through HealthcareSource.