School of Nursing

From the mountains of West Virginia to cities and towns across the country and around the world, West Virginia University graduates and their families gathered around computers and other smart devices to attend Mountaineer Graduation Day on Saturday (May 16). The online experience, created due to social distancing restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, provided an opportunity for graduates to mark an important milestone and share familiar commencement traditions.

While West Virginia University’s 4,500-member Class of 2020 will graduate in various states and countries instead of Morgantown and in one ceremony instead of more than a dozen, graduates will be connected to each other and to Mountaineers around the world in WVU’s first virtual commencement ceremony.

Envisioning a return of students to its three campuses in the fall, the West Virginia University Board of Governors announced Friday (May 1) that base tuition and fees will remain unchanged for the academic year beginning in August.

Anticipating and meeting patients’ needs can take an emotional toll on nurses, even without COVID-19 as an added stressor. A new study led by Marian Reven, a Ph.D. student in the WVU School of Nursing and a registered nurse with WVU Medicine, suggests aromatherapy may reduce nurses’ feelings of stress, anxiety and fatigue on the job.

Telemedicine may make it easier for some patients to see a nurse or doctor while stay-at-home orders are in place, but that isn’t the case for everyone. Some older people may find the technology particularly challenging. Kimberly Wallace—a Ph.D. candidate in the WVU School of Nursing and nurse practitioner with the WVU Medicine Section of Nephrology—and colleagues are working to accommodate their needs.

West Virginia University is connecting patients, recently discharged from long-term care facilities, with medical professionals who can manage their healthcare remotely via technology. This telehealth approach may now prove to be a more versatile tool as the U.S. responds to the looming threat of the novel coronavirus.

A new study from the WVU School of Nursing suggests women may be more likely than men to use negative coping styles when diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Coping style can impact lifestyle choices. Negative coping can lead to settling for high-calorie food or less exercise—both of which will diminish a person’s ability to live healthy with diabetes.

Opportunities to broaden the scope of their health care studies and make global connections await West Virginia University’s most recent Gilman Scholars this year in Santarem, Brazil.

Graduates were urged to tap into their inner wisdom and make decisions that align with their passions at West Virginia University’s commencement ceremonies Saturday (Dec. 21).

Top-tier training, research and service opportunities will remain at the forefront for students in the School of Public Health as West Virginia University and the Monongalia County Health Department establish an Academic Health Department, reinforcing the School’s commitment to give students learning experiences based in real-world public health practice.