Raleigh County, WV (WOAY) – West Virginia School of Nursing, Beckley campus, and WVU Tech are hosting the West Virginia Junior Nursing Academy.
Rising eighth, ninth, and tenth-graders get to visit Raleigh General Hospital and ARH to learn about the profession.
“It’s an opportunity for students who are interested in nursing to come and get a little sample of what it’s like to be in nursing school and what the profession of nursing is like,” said BSN Program Chairperson/Associate Professor Hillary Parcell.
Ava Hatcher wants to pursue ER or ICU nursing because she loves the adrenaline rush.
“Feeling, kind of, like, pressured, like I work good under that pressure, so I know it would be nice for me to do that,” the Liberty High School 10th-grader said.
Becoming a surgeon, first assist, or ER nurse appeals to Alexander Dennison.
“It allows me to further develop and get a grasp of the basic skills that are used in everyday medicine,” said the Braxton County High School 10th-grader. “And it allows me to develop myself as a person for my future career.”
The WVU Tech Junior Nursing Academy immerses the students in the field.
“They had a CPR course this morning. They’re getting ready to do an OR simulation in the hospital,” Parcell said. “Tomorrow, we’ll be back on our tech campus for some simulation exercises in our simulation lab. And then they’ll go to Appalachia Regional Hospital for a different scenario.”
Nursing gives Ava the option to make an impact.
“There’s been different things I’ve wanted to do, like possibly like an OT, or like a PT,” it all kind of comes back to nursing,” said Hatcher.
There is a pinning ceremony at the culmination of the Junior Nursing Academy…
“A symbolic ceremony that nursing students do when they graduate nursing school, and so we’re going to give them a mock pinning ceremony as they complete this program,” Parcell said.
Helping people is in Alex’s DNA.
“If someone helps me, I always feel like I need to give back,” said Dennison. “But in this case, this is how I get back. I help them get better and get on with their normal day lives and have the best life that they can.”
