2020 Eagle Grove High School (EGHS) graduate Megan Schafer entered the University of Iowa undecided on her major, but knowing she wanted to be in the medical field. Although she enrolled in the preliminary classes required for any medical major, she didn’t decide upon applying to the UI nursing program until April of 2023.
Meeting the requirements of a minimum 3.0 GPA with passing grades in all the prerequisite classes, Schafer applied, and in July of 2023 received a letter congratulating her on her acceptance in the program. Of over 100 applicants, Shafer was one of only 80 admitted to the program, at what is the 4th ranked nursing program in America.
Shafer was then inducted into the program in January 2024, with a White Coat ceremony in Iowa City, signifying her achievements thus far and officially welcoming her into the nursing program.
“Such a big honor,” her mother, Shonda Schafer proudly proclaimed to The Eagle.
Following Megan’s graduation from nursing school, she plans to work in Emergency Room (ER), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), or Pediatric medicine to gain experience before returning to school to obtain her Nurse Practitioner’s license. Nurse Practitioners must first earn a Masters or Doctorate in nursing, and be certified by a national nursing organization such as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and are licensed by the Iowa Board of Nursing and Professional Midwifery.
