Wheeling University receives grant from West Virginia’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program

Wheeling University has received $750,000 from West Virginia’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program. The Nursing Workforce Expansion Program was launched three years ago to help alleviate the continued shortage of qualified nurses working in the state by funding colleges, universities, and technical education centers around the state to attract and retain nursing students.

According to an article on Wheeling University’s website, the university’s Director of Nursing Programs Jill Emery was quoted as saying of the grant funding, “This funding empowers Wheeling University to help build a sustainable, well-educated workforce, which is crucial for meeting the community’s growing healthcare demands. We wish to thank the HEPC for this funding which will impact health care in communities across the state.”

The funding will be put to use to enhance the school’s nursing programs through the hiring and training of additional nursing faculty, acquiring more nursing simulation equipment and technologies to provide upgraded simulation education experiences, and updating the nursing program’s curriculum to ensure the material offered is up to current nursing standards. Additionally, the program will work to ensure that students are better prepared to take the NCLEX and become licensed nurses who will be ready to work in clinical settings throughout the state.

Dianna M. Vargo, Ed.D., university president, said, “Wheeling University is grateful to the State of West Virginia and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission for providing this essential funding that will enhance our nursing program.”

West Virginia’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program has resulted in a nearly 25% increase in nursing program enrollments around the state. This year, the program distributed 23 grant awards.

For more information about Wheeling University, visit the school’s website.