First WVU School of Nursing Beckley campus alumni to be honored at homecoming

BECKLEY W.Va. (Hinton News) – For the first time, a graduate from the WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus will be awarded the Nursing Alumni of the Year and honored at WVU Tech’s 2024 homecoming celebration. Stephanie McDougal is the inaugural winner.

McDougal graduated from WVU Tech in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While at Tech, McDougal was active on campus as a Golden Bear Scholar, member of the cheerleading team and President of the Student Nursing Association. She completed an externship at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals on a med-surg floor and in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) before accepting a graduate nurse position in the critical care department. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Alpha Rho Chapter, an international community of nurses dedicated to the knowledge, learning and service through practice, education and research.

McDougal continued her education at Marshall University, earning a Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in education. While pursuing her master’s degree, she worked in the critical care and step-down departments at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals and served as an adjunct instructor for WVU Tech.

In 2017, McDougal transitioned within her role at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals into the Clinical Coordinator and Educator for the Intensive Care and Step-down Units. She served as Interim Director in 2019, and formally advanced into this role in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, this role has grown to include the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), step-down Unit (SDU), dialysis department, and the expansion of new departments to include the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) and Rapid Response Team (RRT). McDougal is an Executive Board member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) with the local WVU chapter.

She served as the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) Liaison for the Saint Francis and Thomas campuses, where the hospital system won the highest award for campaign involvement.

Additionally, McDougal was awarded the 40 Under 40 Nursing Leadership Award, recognizing her as an emerging nurse leader under age 40 for her contributions to leadership through clinical practice, education, teaching and administrative governance.

Outside of work, McDougal has always been involved in the community. She has volunteered at a local nursing home, hosting baby showers for the community to help serve expecting mothers, caring for animals at local animal shelters, serving as a rescue home for animals in need and helping with foster care. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family on their mini farm, hiking with her dogs or cheering on her stepson at soccer games.

McDougal will be honored at the alumni award reception along with other winners, including the Nelson Distinguished Young Alumni, Alumni of the Year and Golden Bear Empowerment Faculty awardees on February 9, 2024, at The Resort at Glade Springs. The reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., and the awards dinners will begin at 6:30 p.m. These winners will also be honored at the basketball games on February 10, 2024, at the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center.

For more WVU Tech homecoming information and to buy tickets to the Alumni Awards event, visit homecoming.wvutech.edu.