Tag: Thomas Memorial Hospital

BridgeValley Nursing Students Receive Financial Assistance For Daily Expenses

Nine nursing students will receive money for day-to-day expenses with support from the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program.

On Aug. 15, nine students from BridgeValley Community and Technical College were accepted into the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program, which provides each student with up to $25,000 to support their day-to-day expenses as they attend school.

Dr. Greg Rosencrance, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals said this inaugural cohort shows the organization’s commitment to nursing careers.

“We strive to be the best place to receive healthcare and also the best place to work in healthcare,” Dr. Greg Rosencrance, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals said. “This program is a reflection of our health system’s commitment to our nurses and works to provide a foundation for a successful nursing career.”

Each student accepted into the program will receive their funds over four semesters, including a sign-on bonus in exchange for a three-year work commitment following graduation.

Casey Sacks, Ph.D., president of BridgeValley, said this initiative aims to address the financial challenges faced by nursing students by creating a pathway for them to excel in education and career.

“By offering financing support and recognizing the real challenges faced by nursing students, this program will help alleviate the financial stress students often experience while they are studying,” Sacks said.

Students accepted to the program will also receive support from academic success coaches and complete clinical rotations at Thomas Hospitals to ensure they receive hands-on clinical immersion experiences to assist them as they transition to professional nursing practice.

BridgeValley Community and Technical College was selected as one of the first two community colleges to participate in the program, which was made possible by the partnership between WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals and BridgeValley.

For more information on the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program, visit WVUMedicine.org/Aspiring-Nurse-Program.

Hospital to Charge for Non-Emergency ER Visits

A health system has planned to begin charging patients up-front co-pays for non-emergency visits to a West Virginia hospital’s emergency room.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that Thomas Memorial Hospital’s administration says starting Wednesday staff will inform patients of the change and explain other options for their non-urgent care. Thomas Health System president and CEO Dan Lauffer says the charges will begin in about a month.

Hospital spokeswoman Paige Johnson says 30 percent of its ER patients are deemed with non-emergency problems. She says there’d be a minimum $8 up-front fee and that maximums “depend on their insurance copay.”

Lauffer says patients who’d be better served at walk-in clinics or doctor’s offices are less likely to receive the care they need at the ER and that they lengthen its wait times.

Jury Awards $1 Million to Fired W.Va. Nurse

A former hospital nurse has been awarded more than $1 million in a lawsuit that claimed she was fired for expressing concerns of possible violations.
 
A Kanawha County Circuit Court jury made the award Thursday after a nine-day trial to Susan Nutter, who worked at Thomas Hospital’s psychiatric unit from August 2008 to November 2009.
 
The Charleston Daily Mail reports the jury found the hospital wrongfully fired Nutter, intentionally inflicted emotional distress, defamed her when it reported patient chart discrepancies to a nurse licensing board, and failed to properly pay her charge nurse wages.

Her attorney, Marvin Masters, testified Nutter reported nurses calling in prescriptions without a doctor’s permission and other concerns.
 
Hospital attorney Bryan Cokeley disputed the whistleblower claims in court and declined comment on the verdict.

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