Nursing Practice Team
Strengthening Nursing Practice to Build a Culture of Health in WV
Online Transition To Practice & Preceptor Course Enrollment
Recommendation #1 Modernize Health Policies to Remove Scope-of-practice Barriers.
Advance practice registered nurse should be able to practice to the full extent of their
education and training.
Leader: Dr. Toni DiChiacchio, APRN, FNP, BC, Assistant Dean,
Faculty Practice & Community Engagement at West Virginia University
Project: Increase access to healthcare by advanced practice nurses through work with grass
roots organizations to update legislative barriers to practice specifically for Advance
Practice Nurses (APRNs)
Accomplishments: Partnered with WV Nurses Association, AARP and other
organizations to successfully pass HB 4334 in 2016. The legislation removed
the restrictive written collaborative agreement requirement (after 3 years of practice)
and permitted signing of legal documents as death certificates and others.
Members: Members include nurses from each Senatorial District in WV, AARP, West Virginians
for Affordable Healthcare, Healthy Kids and Families Coalition and others.
Recommendation # 3 Improve Retention & Quality through Transition to Practice Models
State boards of nursing, accreditation bodies, the federal government, and health care
organizations should take actions to support nurses’ completion of a transition-to-practice
program (nurse residency) after they have completed a pre-licensure or advance practice
degree program or when they are transitioning into new clinical practice areas.
Leader: Mary Fanning, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Director, Nursing Administration and
Magnet Program Director, WVU Healthcare System
Project: Improve nurse retention, intent to stay, and the graduate nurse experience,
particularly in rural hospitals through research and creation of an online
Nurse Transition to Practice and Preceptor Courses
Accomplishments: Conducted and published a research project on Transition to Practice (TTP)
Programs in WV. Teams designed and wrote curriculum for an online TTP Course.
The Course launched May 2016. Also Includes an online training courses for Preceptors & Mentors
The Transition to Practice and Leadership Courses are online in the careLearning,Inc Course Catalog
Members: Members include nursing administrators and educators in healthcare facilities throughout
WV including: WVU Medical, Charleston Area Medical Center, Davis Medical Center, Logan
Medical Center, Minnie Hamilton Hospital, Camden Clark Medical Center, Ohio Valley Medical
Center, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Princeton Community Hospital, and others
Building a Culture of Health
Faith Community Nursing Project
Leader: Angel Smothers, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, WVU School of Nursing
The project was initiated through the RWJF Public Health Nurse Leader Award
Project: Develop and support a Faith Community Nursing Toolkit and Network to expand
the availability of community nursing resources in every WV county and to provide
resources and networking to support nurses initiating Health Ministries.
Accomplishments: An online FCN Toolkit and Directory
Team Members: Angie Gray, Joy Buck, Angel Smothers, Donna Riffle, Laure Marino, Aila Accad
Leader: Cheryl Vega, RN,
Project: Improve students and family health through delivering wellness curricula in elementary
and middle schools by nurse volunteers.
Accomplishments: Project launched Winter 2018 with lesson on hand hygiene/ coughing/sneezing
and car seat safety. to reduce incidence of winter colds and flu.
Team Members: Enroll online http://www.futureofnursingwv.org/amassador-sign-up
Nursing Workforce Summit Retention & Recruitment Action Team
Leaders: Dr Mary Fanning, WVU Hospitals & Chris Thompson, CAMC
Projects: Nurse Retention Collaborative
Retention and Recruitment Toolkit
Bedside Nurse Retention Research Study
Team Members: See members on Workforce Action Teams
