Creating a culture of access to care

Megan Lough knew she would get a quality education at the University of Iowa College of Nursing. The school had popped up when she searched for the best nursing colleges. What she didn't expect was how her academic experiences abroad would unveil her true passions in health care.

"I have a greater worldview because I went to the University of Iowa," says Lough, a native of Eagan, Minnesota. "I understand diversity more. I am able to see the value of an environment that continually cares about teaching and learning and researching and being innovative."

By the time she graduated from Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2019, Lough had spent five months in Peru studying Spanish, five weeks in Colombia performing nursing research, and two weeks in Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa where she learned about community and public health nursing. These experiences, she says, helped her determine the kind of nurse she wants to be.