MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Medicine Center for Nursing Education (CNE) is ready to kick off the application process for its new nursing diploma program.
Online applications for the 21-month program will begin to be accepted on Thursday, August 15 at 9 a.m. as part of an effort to offer a quality, hospital-based, tuition-free nursing program that will also include a three-year work commitment with the WVU Health System upon graduation. Assistant Vice President of Nursing Education for the CNE, Tanya Rogers, is excited to kick off the newly implemented program, which will offer a low-barrier entry into nursing education while also trying to increase the labor force in a field that has seen major declines in the Mountain State.
“We are trying to address barriers for students who we believe want to be nurses but maybe aren’t able to start or finish a nursing program for one reason or another,” said Rogers.
According to Rogers, enrollment eligibility will not require a college education for any prospective students who may wish to apply. In order to be eligible, interested students must have a high school diploma, GED, or TASC equivalent by July 1, 2025, with a C average or higher in high school or college algebra, chemistry, and English. With the goal of encouraging applicants into the program and increasing the number of skilled nurses, Rogers added that professional references will also be considered, especially if an applicant has worked in healthcare-related jobs in the past.
“A lot of times, schools have to rely on GPA and academic history, we are going to look at professional referrals, work experience in healthcare, and other things you maybe don’t get in traditional admissions,” she said.
When the first crop of students is accepted in the program, they will have a chance to learn at the CNE’s state-of-the-art facility, which is expected to finish renovations by the time classes begin in 2025. This will include not only innovative, hospital-based learning and training spaces but also study rooms, laundry facilities, a food bank, and lactation rooms for mothers enrolled in the program. Rogers emphasized the need for such amenities to be located alongside educational facilities to prevent any barriers that could affect a student’s education.
“Students will have 24/7 access to their learning spaces, and they’re not sitting at the laundromat, they can actually do that on sight,” said Rogers, offering some details on the amenities that would be included for students. “It’s just one example of how we’ve tried to address everything,” she said.
The CNE facility will be located within the WVU Innovation Corporation at the former Mylan Pharmaceutical facility on Chestnut Ridge Road.
Applications for priority enrollment considerations will be accepted up to October 1, with only 24 spots open for the first set of classes that are scheduled to begin in August 2025. Once the initial enrollment phase is complete, another 24 applicants will be considered in semi-annual periods, with enrollments scheduled to take place in January and August of each year. With spots expected to fill up quickly, Rogers encourages prospective students to look at what will be offered at the WVU Medicine CNE and be part of a labor force that is ready for more hires.
“We see this as new and innovative pathway, bringing back some of those traditions, but doing it in a different way,” said Rogers. “So that maybe we can increase the supply of nurses in our state,” she said.