Nursing Students Enjoy WVU Medicine ‘Signing Day’

It was signing day for several students Monday at Wheeling University. Yet it wasn't the conventional signing day, one for prospective college student-athletes. This one was for seven Belmont College nursing students who, through WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, will get a major helping hand in their education and job prospects.

Those seven students put pen to paper at the WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital Support Services Building on the WU campus as part of the hospital's new Aspiring Nurse Program. The program takes an unconventional path in helping nursing students balance life and learning.

Students in the Aspiring Nurse Program will receive $5,000 per semester for four semesters worth of schooling. That money can be used however the students need to spend it - for rent, living expenses, emergencies or more.

Jessica Huffman, assistant vice president of clinical services at WVU Medicine Wetzel County Hospital, said that financial assistance is crucial for many nursing students.

"We've heard stories of single moms struggling to pay their rent," she said, "students that had to pawn their laptop to keep their electricity on ... many students who are one flat tire away from dropping out of school.

"We were compelled to react and to innovate to address some of the barriers these students were facing," Huffman added.

Aspiring Nurse Program students also will receive another $5,000 upon completing their schooling. In return, the students commit to three years working at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital.

The money isn't the only resource the students receive. There will be "student-centered" mentorship, Huffman said. The students will meet with liaisons monthly to check in and see if the students are doing well and feel supported. They'll also do many of their clinical rotations at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital.

Douglass Harrison, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals, remembered when his mother was working as a nurse, how she juggled work and school in order to earn a master's degree in nursing.

Her goal, he said, was simply to become the best nurse she could. Harrison said he could see that spirit in the students sitting before him.

"I know what it takes for a person to want to be a nurse," he said. "I know that it takes a deep sense of giving to others, to caring for others, that you want to give back, that you want to do better."

The students who participated in Monday's signing day were Chelsea Barker, Haleigh Boyer, Kayla Glendenning, Jessica Kettlewell, Faith Lowery, Kayla Roupe and Kate Withrow. Paige Briggs also will participate in the program, but was unable to attend.

Withrow, a mother of three, said the help this program provides her is "monumental." She currently is working part-time while attending nursing school, and the funds she's receiving offers some much-needed breathing room for everyday needs.

"It's really incredible, to be honest with you," she said.

She also appreciated the peace of mind that comes with having a job waiting for her right out of school.

"It takes away a little bit of the worry after you graduate, as to whether you know where you're going to work," she said. "Now I already know what I'm going to do."

A separate signing ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital for students entering the program through West Virginia Northern Community College.