Have you always wanted to be a nurse? Or are you just now considering nursing as a career for you? Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Join us as we show you some important information about becoming a nurse in West Virginia!!

Note: The "Nurses Caring for West Virginia" program is supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,  Executive Nurses Fellows Program and the West Virginia University School of Nursing and Health Sciences Center.

Nursing has many definitions, but the American Nurses Association says that the essence of nursing is that nurses combine the art of caring with the science of health care. Nursing places its focus not only on a particular health problem, but on the whole patient and his or her response to treatment. Caring for the patient and  family is combined with a firm base of scientific knowledge to promote, restore and maintain health.

Registered nurses work in so many places, it’s hard to go anyplace in West Virginia without meeting a nurse! From schools, to factories, to hospitals, clinics, offices, and even in homes, nurses are there to care for patients, their families and the community. And, the sky is the limit with choices of the type of nursing—do you like babies? Try Labor and Delivery or the Newborn Nursery? Looking for excitement? How about flight nursing , a trauma center, or the emergency room? Like relating to people in their own environment? How about home care? And the best part is, all of these choices and more are open to you, once you’ve chosen Nursing in West Virginia!!!

First, you need a high school diploma.  Remember that nursing combines caring with science, so high school preparation courses include math and sciences. Be sure to choose the college prep track if you want to be well prepared to enter a nursing school in West Virginia or around the country.

There are 2 pathways to become a registered nurse in West Virginia; the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and the Associate Degree in nursing.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BS/BSN):  This is a 4 year program that prepares you to practice across all health care settings. As a BSN graduate, you have the greatest opportunity to advance your education. A BSN is required to enter into a Master’s degree in a Nursing program, which prepares you for leadership positions, and other advanced roles such as nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or as a nursing faculty member.

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN):  This is a 2-3 year program offered at colleges that prepares you to provide direct patient care in numerous settings. Once you have achieved an ADN and are licensed, you can complete a BSN at many colleges and universities in West Virginia in 1-2 more years. Many of these programs are even offered online!

There are 17 Colleges and Universities that offer nursing in West Virginia. You can find out how to reach them and explore what they have to offer by calling the numbers on the back of this brochure, visiting their websites, or visiting the Nurses Caring for West Virginia website at http://www..hsc.wvu.edu/charleston/nursing

Once you’ve completed either a 2 or 4-year program in nursing, you will need to be licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN). As in many professions, you will need to be licensed in the state in which you practice. To see some of the criteria for licensure in West Virginia, you could visit the website of the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses at http://www.state.wv.us/nurses/rn.

In West Virginia, as around the country, graduates of both types of nursing programs (ADN and BSN) take the same licensure exam, the NCLEX-RN.  This exam is offered throughout the country and is computerized. Successful completion of this examination qualifies you to work as a Registered Nurse!

Which West Virginia Colleges and Universities offer nursing?