WVU School of Nursing students are finding inspiration in their mentors, even as those mentors continue to experience the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. (WVU Photo)
Students at West Virginia University are finding motivation and inspiration for their future careers as nurses, despite the physical and emotional exhaustion the COVID-19 pandemic has caused in the nursing professionals they train with every day. In fact, the pandemic has strengthened their resolve to keep nurses in the pipelines to provide hands-on health care.
Ateria Walker, a junior in the WVU School of Nursing, said the pandemic has only motivated her more toward her goal of becoming a nurse.
“Seeing COVID-19 firsthand, it gave me even more desire to want to be a nurse,” said Walker, of Wheeling, who is in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. “The pandemic made us realize how important nurses are, along with other healthcare professionals.”
Walker saw patient-to-staff ratios increase in her position as nursing assistant at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. She also saw many nurses get infected with COVID-19 themselves. Many nurses needed to take time off to recover or recuperate, she said.
Students, faculty and retired nurses across the state stepped up to answer the needs of the nursing shortage during the pandemic through a plan created by the WVU School of Nursing.
“Learning how to navigate increased patient ratios was something I learned how to accommodate,” Walker said. “I’ve been handling it well, and the floor nurses there are always so helpful. Of course, there are fears, but no matter the fears, these nurses put these patients first.”
Petra Vasale, a senior in the BSN program on the Beckley campus, said while the pandemic has been scary, it’s created a lot of opportunities for nurses, especially those entering the field.
“Right now, the world is our oyster,” Vasale said. “Facilities are coming to us with a lot of options. I want to work in the Charleston or Beckley area, somewhere in critical care. So many facilities are begging for critical care positions.”
She said while some nurses did leave the profession, she finds inspiration in those who stayed, those who found a renewed sense of passion about their jobs. She said she looks forward to learning from them.
“We’re taught to protect ourselves and our patients,” Vasale said. “We’re taught how to wear proper PPE, to be resilient, caring and kind. That’s our job, and I feel really well prepared for that.”
-WVU-
wh/03/08/22
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