Nursing Students Mark Accomplishment
West Liberty University nursing students marked their graduation in a special way recently with a professional Nursing Pinning Ceremony held in Kelly Theatre.
Opening remarks were delivered by President Stephen Greiner, who congratulated the nurses on a job well done.
The class of 2018 of nursing graduates earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree include: Priscilla Bacus, Sydney Banks, Kimber Boord, Mikaela Britton, Emily Clark, Samantha Criswell, Jennifer Crowe, Gregory Fahnestock, Rose Frashure, Taylor Jones, Amanda McGary, Sydney Scherer, Brittany Shuba, Kaleigh Sikora, Hannah Wilson.
Graduates earning the RN to BSN degree include: Allison Broski, Megan Griffith, Beth Heck, Laikyne Marling, Melissa O’Donnell and Brittany Schrader.
The pinning ceremony was led by Associate Professor of Nursing Margy Bowman, RN, Ph.D. All graduates also recited the official professional nurse’s pledge.
Awards were presented to several seniors:
• OVMC Nightingale Award, Sydney Scherer of Brookeville, Ohio, and Brittany Shuba of Wheeling
• Wheeling Hospital Sally Eberhard Award, Kimber Boord of Wheeling
• Eastern Star Award, Allison Broski of West Alexander, Pa.
WLU’s nursing RN program has been ranked as one of the best in West Virginia by Registered Nursing.org. WLU earned the No. 7 spot out of 26 total programs rated by the website.
Nursing programs were assessed on several factors, which represent how well a program supports students towards licensure and beyond, as well as NCLEX-RN pass-rates also were factored in.
Housed in the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences, WLU offers the accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree for high school graduates, the BA/BS to BSN degree and a RN-to-BSN degree program for Registered Nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma who are currently licensed or eligible for licensure and want to earn a bachelor’s.
WLU’s nursing program is under the direction of Rose Kutlenios, Ph.D. RN. For more information, visit westliberty.edu or call the nursing department at 304-336-8108.
Medical Laboratory Science Graduates Get Pinned
West Liberty University’s Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) seniors were on the other side of the needle recently as they enjoyed their first Pinning Ceremony last month in the Interfaith Chapel.
“It was a happy moment for our graduating seniors who graduate this spring, and we congratulate them on their hard work,” said Dr. William Wagener, program director, who has been at the helm of the program for 24 years.
Spring 2018 graduates include: Emily Anderson, Glen Dale, Abby Bizzarri, Belmont; Amber Clingenpeel, Avella, Pa.; Jessica McNicholas, Washington, Pa.; Erin Schuler and Lindsey Schuler, Wheeling.
Typically many of the Medical Laboratory Science graduates have job offers before they graduate and begin careers immediately after commencement, according to Wagener, who is from Monroeville, Pa., and was a lab supervisor prior to joining WLU. Bonnie Porter is the instructor in MLS and assists Wagener with the program.
One of the most successful programs at WLU, the Medical Laboratory Science program at West Liberty University has provided training for medical laboratory scientists (medical technologists) since 1943.
Accredited through the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS), the program is one of the Health Sciences degree options for students interested in the field medicine. It is housed in the College of Sciences in Campbell Hall.
Medical laboratory scientists perform laboratory tests on a variety of body fluids and tissues and are employed in many locations including hospitals, doctor offices and clinics. The result of their work is used by physicians to diagnose and treat disease, maintain and monitor health, and promote health in the community.
Senior-year students rotate through the clinical laboratories of local hospital laboratories and after successful completion of the clinical rotation, students complete the senior level courses required for graduation and prepare to take the Board of Certification (BOC) National Certification Examination.
