Nurses and hospital workers are playing a vital role in helping the world through the COVID-19 Pandemic. This week I would like to give them all a shout out and a virtual hug for all that they are doing.
Struggles and Frustrations
During my years in the library, I would watch the dedicated nursing students as they worked extremely hard, many times through the tears and frustration required to master all of the important information.
Many of those people are out there this week, all over the country, providing care and being heroes. I have no doubt that many of them are again crying tears of frustration over the situation that they are involved with. I find it comforting to know how well prepared they are, and proud of WVWC for the strong Nursing Program that has prepared them.
In particular, I want to honor and thank those who have founded, taught in, and been students in the Nursing Program at WVWC.
This summary is necessarily brief — to write the full rich history would take many books!
1961
In 1961, President Stanley Martin hired Miss George Rast a full year before the first students were admitted to the program. A nurse educator since 1937, Miss Rast developed the curriculum, made connections for clinical placements, and took care of all of the administrative things that needed to be completed.
1962
Eleven students enrolled in 1962, and five of these became the first graduates of the program in 1965.
Interest continued to grow. When the Admission reports came out in February of 1966 there were already thirty-one applicants for the program (second only to Education, which had 64).
Each year the students who have completed their first clinical program are honored at a capping ceremony. At the ceremony in 1974-75, there were thirty-four including a couple of males.
Stronger Than Ever
During budget woes in 2004 there were plans to phase out the program. An outcry from community and college alike was heard by President Pamela Balch who reinstated it in October 2006 as her very first act when taking office.
From that low point, the program has come back stronger than ever. In fact, it now includes degrees at the masters and doctoral levels. From 1999-2000 to 2018-19 (the past 20 years) Wesleyan has awarded 349 BSN degrees and 108 Masters degrees in Nursing fields
Advanced Degrees
- 2009 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – with a Nursing Education Focus. This was quickly followed by a Master of Science in Nursing with a Nursing Administration Focus.
- 2011 Master of Science in Advanced Practice (APRN) areas of Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology. A collaboration was formed with Shenandoah University in order to make these degrees possible.
- 2013 Because of expressed desire, interest, and need from the community of interest, the MSN program received approval for the the degrees of MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and post-graduate APRN certificate (FNP with population focus of individual/family across the life span) in spring 2013, with the first cohort of students entering in fall 2013. Importantly, the decision was made at this time to utilize technology and adapt instruction from face-to-face pedagogies to hybrid distance teaching methods. This decision was in great part the result of input from our community of interest and it has been an important part of our work in the MSN program for the last several years.
- 2018 Doctorate of Nursing Practitioner (DNP) began enrolling students, and the first class will graduate in May 2020.
Facilities
The present-day Erickson Alumni Center was purchased as the home of the brand new nursing department In 1961, and remained the home for ten years until Middleton Hall was built in 1971.
The simulation lab is a state-of-the-art facility giving students plenty of hands on training on campus as well as in their clinical placements at hospitals and other health facilities in the area.
Great curriculum + Great faculty + Great facilities = Successful Alumni
The Winter/Spring edition of the Sundial told of the success of graduates. You can read the full article by clicking on the link above.
“Wesleyan alumni nurses are known for their level of expertise, sensitivity, and care. Many hold leadership positions in some of the nation’s best hospitals. However, all have a common goal – to be a caregiver to those who need help. Whether it is in administration, cardiac care, community health, emergency rooms, intensive care units, medical-surgical care, neonatal, oncology, or women’s health, Wesleyan nurses make a difference.”
Our graduates are out there making a huge difference. They are heroes.
And yes, a WVWC Nursing Grad works there……
HUGS!!
Many thanks to Tammy Crites, Director of Institutional Research and to Dr. Susan Leight, Professor of Nursing and director of the West Virginia Wesleyan School of Nursing and the MSN and DNP programs, for some background information and numbers!