Nursing’s Next Generation
Students Get Glimpse Of Nursing Work At Wheeling Hospital
Emergency room nurse Dustin Coates, center, talks to high school students inside a trauma room at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital during Nursing Career Center on Wednesday.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Photo by Shelley Hanson Emergency room nurse Richard Jenkins, center, talks to high school students about CPR inside a trauma room at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital during Nursing Career Day on Wednesday.
Emergency room nurse Dustin Coates, center, talks to high school students inside a trauma room at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital during Nursing Career Center on Wednesday.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Photo by Shelley Hanson Emergency room nurse Richard Jenkins, center, talks to high school students about CPR inside a trauma room at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital during Nursing Career Day on Wednesday.
WHEELING - Local high school students learned about the many types of nursing jobs available at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and beyond during Nursing Career Day on Wednesday at the facility.
The students first met the hospital's president and CEO, Douglass Harrison, who talked about his path into healthcare and also how his mother worked as a nurse for many years. And though she is retired she still considers herself a nurse, he said.
"It's a rewarding job. ... People come into a hospital or healthcare setting in probably some of the most vulnerable points in their life," he said. "You have to be compassionate and show empathy."
Harrison said one must have the desire to help people to become a nurse.
"Nursing is one of the most selfless careers out there," he said.
They also heard from Jennifer Riley, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services, who told the students that nursing is not just a job, but who you become. She said there are a variety of nurses including those who work in emergency rooms, flight nurses, bedside nurses and more.
Riley said each for many years a Gallup Poll shows that nurses are the most trusted professionals by the public.
Human resources recruiter Kim Leonard said Wheeling Hospital offers many perks to new nurses and those studying to become a nurse. Some include tuition reimbursement, bonuses of up to $15,000, student loan repayments and more. New employees also get 18 days of paid time off and seven paid holidays. They also receive a discount at Howard Long Wellness Center, employee appreciation events and luncheons and more.
"We would love to have all of you come here and stay here in the community," she said.
After the talks, the students split into groups to tour the emergency department and other nursing floors by nurses Dustin Coates, Heather Merkle and Richard Jenkins. In the ER, students were given hands-on lessons on how to do CPR and other medical procedures on medical mannequins.
Harrison noted the nursing profession took a big stressful hit during the COVID-19 pandemic causing many longtime nurses to quit their jobs. More nurses are needed now more than ever. He encouraged the students to look for an organization, such as Wheeling Hospital, that supports its nurses and allows them to speak their voice on matters.
Some of the schools represented by the students included John Marshall High School, Wheeling Park High, Barnesville High, St. Clairsville High, Shenandoah High and Buckeye Trail High School.