LOGAN, W.Va. — Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is tackling the state’s nursing shortage by expanding its training program.
The school has been awarded nearly $1 million in Gov. Jim Justice’s Nursing Workforce Expansion Program.
“This will provide a great opportunity for our students, but it will also fill a gap in the nursing shortage in our region,” Southern President Dr. Pamela L. Alderman said.
Southern plans to use the money to begin an accelerated weekend nursing program, which is expected to support up to 20 new nursing students.
The nursing program expansion awards are administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College System. Twenty-six funded projects across the state were announced by Gov. Justice on March 17. Approved projects were required to be focused on increasing enrollment in pre-licensure nursing programs through innovative approaches focused on timely degree completion and licensure for graduates.
“We are tremendously grateful to Gov. Justice for providing this historic funding to support the expansion of nursing education programs across West Virginia,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “Through these new projects, our postsecondary education community will be better positioned to help shore up West Virginia’s nursing workforce – which, in turn, will help support our nurses working tirelessly on the front lines right now.”
