The West Virginia University School of Nursing received $2 million through West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, which is designed to address the state’s nursing shortage through a multifaceted approach to attract, train and retain nurses in the Mountain State.
Representing a fundamental part of this approach, an award program was established to fund nursing program expansion projects at colleges, universities, schools of nursing and career technical education centers across West Virginia.
Through two separate $1 million awards, the WVU School of Nursing plans to expand its existing Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at multiple campuses — Morgantown, Beckley, Bridgeport and Keyser.
The project will expand BSN admissions across multiple WVU School of Nursing campuses.
At the newest campus in Bridgeport, through a partnership with United Hospital Center, the BSN Fast Track program will admit a first cohort of 24 in September. The investment is also expected to support 20 new nursing students at the Beckley Campus.
“We are thrilled to see this significant investment from the state of West Virginia toward higher education for our nursing programs,” said Tara Hulsey, dean and E. Jane Martin endowed professor of the school of
nursing. “Our plan is to help address the nursing workforce shortage through these additional resources, which will support student success, enhance recruitment and retention, provide faculty incentives and community partnerships.”
The nursing program expansion awards are administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System. Across the state, 26 projects were funded. Approved projects were required to be focused on increasing enrollment in pre-licensure nursing programs through innovative approaches focused on timely degree completion and licensure for graduates.
“We are tremendously grateful to Gov. Justice for providing this historic funding to support the expansion of nursing education programs across West Virginia,” said Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s chancellor of higher education.
“Through these new projects, our postsecondary education community will be better positioned to help shore up West Virginia’s nursing workforce — which, in turn, will help support our nurses working tirelessly on the front lines right now.”
Justice announced the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program in December by dedicating $48 million to support new and expanded initiatives that will train new nurses, fully fund the West Virginia Nursing Scholarship Program, value nurses already practicing in the state and recruit nurses into West Virginia.
