SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A second cohort of aspiring nurses are being welcomed into a first-of-its-kind program in the state which helps support their life expenses while getting through school.
Thomas Hospitals and BridgeValley Community and Technical College came together Tuesday to host a signing ceremony honoring nursing students as part of the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program.
It’s a two year old program created in partnership by both Thomas Hospitals and BridgeValley to help aspiring nurses pay for day-to-day life expenses while going to nursing school, rather than for tuition support that other programs already offer with student loans, grants, and scholarships.
A total of 15 nursing students received $5,000 Tuesday during the ceremony as part of the up to $25,000 the program provides to them at BridgeValley over the course of four semesters.
WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Greg Rosencrance said it’s important to support nurses trying to get through school beyond just providing funding for the cost of tuition, books, and academic expenses.
“Many nursing students were one flat tire away from not being able to complete their education, and we wanted to provide financial support to them so that they didn’t have those types of worries,” Rosencrance said.
In addition to the $25,000 funding, the program makes the opportunity for a sign-on bonus available upon hire in exchange for a three year work commitment following graduation.
Rosencrance said because the program makes earning a nursing degree more accessible to students, its enrollment has doubled in size from the first year it was launched.
“We’ve seen a tremendous interest not just here locally but across the state of West Virginia as it has expanded to other WVU Medicine facilities, and the interest has grown significantly,” he said.
One of those a part of Tuesday’s ceremony, Mary Masters is a nursing student in the LPN to RN program at BridgeValley and she told MetroNews that her dream is to become an OB or a Pediatric nurse.
She said after not qualifying for financial aid, this program helps her pay for school, advance towards her goals of moving up in the nursing field faster, and afford her more for her most important job of all– being a full-time mother.
“It also gives me a way to provide for my kids and teach them that they can work hard and achieve their goals,” she said.
Masters said she encourages all aspiring nurses to not give up as there are programs like this one which help get them to where they want to go.
“You can achieve your dreams but it takes hard work to get there,” Masters said. “There are plenty of resources to help so just always reach out, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, and just keep trying.”
BridgeValley was one of the first community colleges to participate in the Aspiring Nurse Program.