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Should Nursing Education Go Back Into Hospitals?

Analysis  |  By G Hatfield  
   October 21, 2024

WVU Medicine has invested in a diploma program, says this CNE.

For years in West Virginia, nursing education has taken place within educational institutions.

Registered nurses typically complete a two-to-four-year program, then enter the workforce after earning their degrees and taking the proper exams.

However, WVU Medicine West Virginia University is investing in an alternative route.

According to Melanie Heuston, chief nurse executive at WVU Medicine and HealthLeaders Exchange member, the health system has implemented a hospital-based nursing school and registered nursing diploma program through its Center for Nursing Education.

"We're doing something that's a bit unconventional in the academic field," Heuston said. “We are developing and sponsoring our own 2-year diploma program that will serve as a pipeline of new nurses for our 24 hospitals.”

Heuston explained there are diploma programs that exist across the United States, but that this program is one of the first of its kind.

"We really wanted to be a bridge to people getting further education, so we are developing our Center for Nursing Education to offer West Virginians an alternative to the traditional path to becoming a nurse.”

Program specifics

Heuston described the program as a traditional education with a contemporary approach. The program is free of charge and students are given all necessary materials, including computers, books, and uniforms.

"We have been developing it for over a year, a very short timeline," Heuston said. "We are making an enormous investment in the new school to ensure students are immersed in a state-of-the-art facility.”

Recruiting faculty for the program has been successful, according to Heuston, and so has enrollment.

"We opened our enrollment this past summer on August 15," Heuston said. “Within a week, we had over 100 applicants, and today…we have 620 applicants [who] filled out the entire application for our inaugural class of 24." 

The students will begin the program in August 2025, following a rigorous selection process that includes interviews. Enrollment is broad-based, Heuston explained, which is also known as holistic admissions.

"We’re not just looking at test scores," Heuston said. "We're actually going to interview for caring attributes to be ensured that they're the type of nurses that really want to work in a med surg clinical environment."

Program goals

The goal is to promote impatient bedside nursing as a long-standing career, according to Heuston.

"We're going to interview every candidate and we're hoping to expand very quickly," Heuston said. "The State Board of Nursing only allows us to take 24 students until we have the demonstrated outcomes."

WVU Medicine partnered with Beebe Healthcare's Margaret Rollins School of Nursing to learn about lessons learned, according to Heuston.

"They have been supportive partners," Heuston said. "They want to see us succeed and have shared everything that they've done well to integrate into our environment." 

Ultimately, the program is meant to be a pathway for continued education. Heuston said they have signed memorandums of understanding for local schools as well as with West Virginia University, to give the students a bridge to a bachelor's degree.

"We really want to promote the idea within our clinical ladder," Heuston said, "and give them free tuition to get their baccalaureate degree as well."

The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.

Please join the community at our LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.

G Hatfield is the CNO editor for HealthLeaders.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

The WVU Medicine Center for Nursing Education diploma program is free of charge, and students are given all necessary materials, including computers, books, and uniforms.

The goal of the program is to promote inpatient bedside nursing as a long-standing career and to provide a pathway for continued education.


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