A NEW PARTNERSHIP — Jamie Caridi, left, president of Bethany College, and James Moore, president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, signed an agreement Tuesday establishing a collaborative nursing program between the schools. Through it, students will be able to earn dual bachelor’s degrees in nursing and interdisciplinary studies. -- Warren Scott

BETHANY — Leaders of two independent West Virginia colleges have formed a partnership they hope will alleviate the shortage of nurses in the Mountain State.

On Tuesday, Jamie Caridi, president of Bethany College, and James Moore, president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, signed an agreement establishing a collaborative nursing program between the two schools.

Through it, students at Bethany can earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wesleyan and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Bethany, both within four years.

“We’re running a two-for-one special here,” said Caridi, who added a skills lab and simulation lab will be added to the Bethany campus to help prepare the new nursing students for their future careers.

Caridi and Moore agreed that while the move will attract more students to the colleges, it also will help to address a scarcity in nurses entering the health care field in West Virginia.

Caridi said nursing professions throughout the state have a vacancy rate of 19.3 percent, with a turnover rate of 26 percent.

He added, nationally, more than 65,000 qualified applicants for nursing education programs were turned away because of an inadequate number of teaching facilities and staff.

Moore said Buckhannon-based West Virginia Wesleyan College has been producing patient-centered nurses since 1961 and welcomes the opportunity to supply them to health care providers beyond its region.

“Small, independent liberal arts and science institutions can and should be a part of the solution to problems faced today,” he said.

“If you have an idea about meeting a need, come to us,” Moore added.

Caridi said in pursuing the new program, he and other Bethany officials wanted to partner with West Virginia Wesleyan because of its strong reputation among health care providers and high values, including a desire to produce graduates dedicated to service professionally and personally.

Moore said the decision to team with Bethany was “a very easy yes” because of the great respect he and others at Wesleyan hold for the college.

“It’s nice to work with partners who start with yes rather than no,” he said, adding he envisions future collaborations between the two schools.

Caridi said there’s work to be done to establish a seamless nursing curriculum between the two and create the two labs, with four on-campus sites being considered. The program is slated to begin next fall.

He anticipates the addition of six to 10 faculty members, with Bethany staff providing instruction for the interdisciplinary studies program, and Wesleyan staff providing the instruction in nursing.

Caridi confirmed Bethany has formed similar partnerships with the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and St. George’s University, a medical school in Grenada, with guaranteed admission pending a suitable academic record, and entry programs to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Wheeling University and doctor of pharmacy program at Northeastern Ohio Medical College.