West Virginia hospitals report a particular need for family practice nurse practitioners, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners and acute care nurse practitioners. There's also strong demand for public health nurse practitioners and for NPs who are willing to live and work in rural settings.
In order to prescribe medication in West Virginia, nurse practitioners must have a written, collaborative agreement with a West Virginia physician. The agreement must include protocols to guide care; certain medications, such as those that may cause birth defects, are subject to additional physician oversight. According to West Virginia state law, supervising physicians may set additional requirements as to what can and cannot be prescribed without direct physician input.
West Virginia NPs earn, on average, $81,000 to $85,000 per year.
Nurse practitioner programs for West Virginia nurses include as well as the online program through Georgetown University:
- Mountain State University. Applicants to the family nurse practitioner (FNP) program at Mountain State should have one year of recent experience as a nurse before beginning the clinical portion of the curriculum; applicants must also have performed 12 hours of community service in the previous year. The master's-level FNP program can be pursued full or part-time.
- West Virginia University. At West Virginia University, RNs who have not completed a bachelor's degree can work directly toward a master's-degree as a family nurse practitioner. The RN-to-MSN program typically takes eight semesters, and most coursework can be completed online.
- Wheeling Jesuit University. Wheeling offers an online, master's-level family nurse practitioner program. Clinical coursework can be completed in your home community.
Accredited schools with NP programs in West Virginia:
