Students seeking their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the WVU School of Nursing are eligible to apply for the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program, which provides direct financial assistance to nursing students at participating schools in return for a three-year work commitment at a hospital in the WVU Health System.
While the support is invaluable to all students, the Accelerated BSN students are oftentimes those who are in greatest need of financial support, as scholarship options are more limited for second-degree students.
“I’m a mom of a 3-year-old boy,” shared Kayla Kelly, an ABSN student at the Bridgeport Campus. “While going to school, being a parent, and working part time, the financial assistance means that I get to worry less about the everyday stresses of money and working so that I can focus on my schooling to be the best nurse than I can be knowledge wise.”
Kelly initially received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, then pursued military training as a Network Intelligence Analyst. She joined the Air Force in 2019 and completed basic training in San Antonio. After completing tech schooling in San Angelo, Texas, and Pensacola, Florida, she was stationed in San Antonio until having her son in 2021, when she moved home to be closer to her family.
“I’ve always known I wanted to work in the medical field,” she said. “Nurses have so much interaction with their patients and get to see and care for them during their most vulnerable moments – watching, encouraging and providing them with support every step through the healing process. It’s extremely rewarding to help facilitate that process and I would love to be able to do that for a living.”
Kelly learned about the Aspiring Nurse Program from the Bridgeport Campus Chair, Dr. Veronica Gallo. For Kelly, the program is allowing her to have the assurance of employment after graduation, as well as a less stressful financial situation.
“While nurses are always needed all over, it’s nice to be able to work at the hospital I have done most of my clinical rotations to feel more comfortable being a new graduate nurse,” said Kelly, who is set to graduate in August. She will fulfill her three-year employment requirement at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center working inlabor and delivery. She aspires to go back to school to become a midwife.
For Chloe Sidick, an ABSN student on the Morgantown Campus, her background is in public health.
“While pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Public Health, I realized that I wanted to continue to help individuals but in a more clinical setting, which is why I decided to apply to the WVU Accelerated Nursing Program,” Sidick said. “I want to help individuals recover from illness, but also educate individuals about the importance of prevention and a career in nursing is the perfect opportunity to do both.”
Like Kelly, Sidick has also found the Aspiring Nurse Program incredibly helpful as a second-degree student.
“The financial assistance means a lot to me as a second-degree student because I no longer am receiving the financial help that I did during my first undergrad degree, and the Aspiring Nurse Program is giving me the opportunity to help pay my tuition and other expenses I may experience while completing my nursing degree,” she shared.
Sidick, too, will graduate in August. She plans to remain in Morgantown and complete her work requirements with WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
“I am so grateful for this scholarship and all of the opportunities it offers,” Sidick said. “I am so excited to start my career at WVU Medicine post-graduation and serve the people of West Virginia.”
Haley Tibbs, who received her Bachelor of Science in Health Science, fell in love nursing during an internship at a clinic in her hometown of Parsons, West Virginia. She said observing healthcare professionals at the clinic made her want to pursue the career path for herself.
“I chose the School of Nursing at WVU because it is the best nursing program in the state with nearly perfect scores on the NCLEX and I have heard great reviews of the faculty and facilities,” Tibbs said. “I learned about the Aspiring Nurse Program from one of the faculty shortly after I was accepted into the ABSN program, and I knew I had to apply.”
She said the assistance from the program has provided flexibility with her schedule and freedom from financial stress. She plans to graduate in 2025 and continue working in a West Virginia hospital to give back to the community.
“Eventually, I plan to earn my Master of Science in Nursing and become a Family Nurse Practitioner,” Tibbs said. “I am so excited to get as much as possible out of this new journey.”
To learn more about the Aspiring Nurse Program, visit wvumedicine.org/aspiring-nurse-program. To learn more about nursing degree opportunities, visit nursing.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu
