Win-Win: Nursing program offers a positive model
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Getting a job in the health care industry requires a solid education, and that education can get expensive if resources are not available to help a student through. WVU Medicine's Aspiring Nurse Program is doing something about that by giving financial assistance to students in exchange for an employment commitment in the nursing field after they graduate.
"The Aspiring Nurse Program is such an incredible program," said Carol Grove, chief nursing officer for WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. "I know, for a fact, it has made a significant impact on many of our students. I have had people stop by my office to tell me what a difference it makes. There are people who are a part of the Aspiring Nurse Program who would absolutely not have been able to go to nursing school without that help."
The program provides up to $25,000 over the course of a student's schooling, and can be used for tuition assistance, or other necessities such as child care.
Being a nurse is challenging -- even more so with education-related debt hanging over a person's head.
"It means a lot that they are willing to help financially to take the burden off so we can go to nursing school, become nurses and provide for our families," West Virginia Junior College student Jordan Kuhn said.
And for the hospitals, where there is always a need for good nurses, the program is a win-win.
It's an idea that could take off in other industries as our economy diversifies and grows amid a declining population -- supporting those seeking quality education in a field that would let them work and raise their families right here.
"It will open doors for employment and help support us financially through school," said Washington State College of Ohio student Josie Joy. "I'm very thankful."
Our communities are thankful, too.