WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital reacts to Bluefield University on-campus nursing program closure

Ashley Davidson
·2 min read

PRINCETON, WV (WNVS) — Bluefield University was one of several schools with nursing programs whose graduates go to work at WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital.

Now that this program is ending, the hospital is left with the question of how they will make up for the loss of potential employees. Chief Executive Officer of PCH Karen Bowling said this will be a challenge she hopes the hospital can overcome.

“I’m gonna try to be optimistic about it and, you know, hope those students get placed somewhere, but [I’m] very disappointed that that program was closed,” said Bowling.

Bowling said it is especially hard to lose this program now when West Virginia and the country as a whole is experiencing a severe nursing shortage.

Bluefield University is ending the on-campus nursing program

According to the National Institutes of Health, though life expectancy and survival rates have improved, the United States still experiences more injuries and illnesses than other high-income countries.

Bowling, with her background as a nurse, knows this all too well.

“I know as you think about healthcare, our population’s aging – we have significant health problems, so there’s always going to be a need for nurses,” said Bowling.

This means a need for nursing programs, especially on-campus local programs. Bowling said that PCH does not really benefit from online nursing programs because most of the students enrolled in them are not local and are not recruitable. Still, though, she remains optimistic.

“We do a lot to support nurses and keep them engaged in the field. We have ways in which we reward nurses for staying at the bedside or getting certifications; very specific things like that. So, we think we’ve been pretty creative to try to retain nurses and recruit nurses,” said Bowling.

Though the Bluefield University on-campus program is ending, PCH still believes that the future of nursing is bright.

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