New Weber State University partnership helps veterans further careers

OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — A new partnership at Weber State University is helping veterans go from military service to careers as nurse educators.

Weber State said its Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing is now an industry partner with the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge Program, which reportedly gives military personnel opportunities to gain civilian work experience during their last six months of service.

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London Draper Lowe, a WSU nursing professor and SkillBridge program coordinator, said the partnership shows the university’s dedication to being a military-friendly school.

“We care about the military community and want them to be part of our school,” Lowe said.

According to a press release, retiring or separating military nurses with a masters or doctoral degree can apply for a five-month internship at WSU, working alongside instructors to learn and experience “all aspects of nursing education.”

Lowe described the SkillBridge partnership as “beneficial for all unlocking new career paths for veterans while also allowing WSU to tap into a highly trained, highly skilled workforce,” the release states.

Michael Humphrey, a women’s health and family nurse practitioner who recently retired from a 22-year career with the U.S. Air Force, was the first intern to complete the program.

While Humphrey said the transition out of the military can be stressful and overwhelming, “that’s where SkillBridge came in.”

“It allowed me to try out being a nurse educator with no strings attached,” he said. “This partnership provided an avenue for me to share my distinct experience over the past two decades in the military.”

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