CHARLESTON, (WV) – Across the country, hospitals are facing an unprecedented nursing shortage, and Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) is no exception. This shortage has been building for several years and is the result of many factors.
To combat this crisis, CAMC and West Virginia Junior College (WVJC) have announced plans to collaborate to educate and employ nurses.
This program, creating the WVJC School of Nursing at CAMC, will enhance a partnership that CAMC and WVJC have had in place for several years.
The new initiative will be an accelerated 18-month program and will include elements tailored to hospital culture and procedures, a hybrid online delivery method, joint appointments for lab and clinical faculty and education assistance tied to employment commitments upon graduation. The program plans to open/recruitment enrollment in September 2022 and start its first class in April 2023.
“Our state’s health care system desperately needs more nurses, quickly,” said Chad Callen, CEO of WVJC. “This collaboration allows us to integrate our accelerated 18-month program directly into the hospital, thereby increasing capacity, optimizing learning outcomes and improving the student experience. The hybrid-online delivery method is essential to opening access to non-traditional students who cannot put life on hold to go to nursing school.”
During an event, May 18, CAMC and WVJC signed a memorandum of understanding to initiate the collaborative nursing program. Integrating WVJC’s School of Nursing with CAMC is the first step toward a broader workforce development partnership between the two organizations.
“As the largest health care provider in southern West Virginia, CAMC has a long history of educating and training health care workers to provide quality health care for our community,” said Dave Ramsey, CAMC CEO. “This innovative program aligns with parts of CAMC’s vision to be the best place to learn and best place to work.”
To find out more about the WVJC School of Nursing at CAMC, please call 877-25ONLINE or visit WVJC.edu.
