Weirton Medical Center Will Fund Nursing Student Tuition at WVNCC

Weirton Medical Center and West Virginia Northern Community College have formed a new partnership called the Future Nurses Program.

The program is meant to help local nurses financially while encouraging them to provide their knowledge and services in their home area upon graduation.

Through the program, several students will have their expenses paid for an associate degree in exchange for a three-year commitment to work within the WMC Tri-State Medical Network.

Students may apply for admission to the WVNCC nursing program now through June 1 for the upcoming fall semester.

Weirton Medical Center will work with WVNCC to select several students for the program. The hospital will pay students' nursing school tuition and fees at WVNCC of up to $9,100 the first year and up to $5,800 the second year. PROMISE Scholarship recipients are still eligible to apply.

"To recruit nurses through the excellent West Virginia Northern nursing program is a perfect fit," said Denise Westwood, chief nursing officer at WMC. "Some of our finest nurses at WMC came through that very program and we are thrilled to embark on this partnership."

"Students must not only have the passion to become a nurse, but they must have financial support too," said Linda Jo Shelek, director of nursing at WVNCC. "WMC will now remove a tremendous burden for these select students. This is an innovative program that will lead to success for not only the WVNCC student, but WMC and the nursing profession."

"Our nursing program at WVNCC provides exceptional training for our students and now WMC is going to provide them with an incredible opportunity to fulfill their dreams once they complete our program," said WVNCC President Vicki L. Riley. "We are proud to partner with organizations like WMC that are aligned with our top priority, which is our students' success."