CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Fourteen prospective nurses are on their way to achieving their goals after signing to join the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program.
WVU Thomas Hospitals welcomed the students from BridgeValley Community & Technical College with a celebration on Thursday. BridgeValley President Dr. Casey Sacks believes this program is a significant aid to its students.
“We’re just so thrilled to have them, and we’re thrilled to be able to support them like this. The hospital pays them to go to school, which is really incredible, and then they provide lots of extra support so that students have the ability to really stay in school and work on their studies,” she said.
The Aspiring Nurse Program provides each student with up to $25,000 to support everyday expenses, including a sign-on bonus, in exchange for a three-year work commitment after graduating. Students also receive special academic support during their time in the program.
“It’s honestly taken a lot of the weight off of my shoulders with starting school, and it’s also nice to know I’ll have the mentorship and everything they have to offer,” Courtney Newhouse, one of the students to sign on Thursday, said.
Dr. Greg Rosencrance, president and CEO of WVU Thomas Hospitals, pointed to the program’s merits in allowing students to know their schooling is taken care of, even when life throws a curveball. That is a big draw for prospective nurses.
“I’m a mom of a three-year-old, so it allows me to just focus on school without facing the financial barrier, which I think builds more confidence for me, just knowing that my son has stability,” Rajah Pitts, one of the students joining the program, said.
This marks the sixth cohort of BridgeValley students to join the Aspiring Nurse Program. Sacks said they have the results to prove it works.
“Almost every single one of our students who’s in the Aspiring Nurse Program graduates on time. They don’t graduate with debt. They’re employed. We know they’re employed because the hospital commits to hire them on graduation,” she said.