BECKLEY, W.Va. – A group of local students turned their heads to the sky Wednesday afternoon as they watched an Air Evac Lifeteam medical transport helicopter land outside Beckley ARH Hospital.

The 27 students – rising 9^th, 10^th and 11^th graders from throughout the region – were on-site as part of the Southern West Virginia Junior Nursing Academy, a two-day summer camp hosted by the WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus and WVU Tech.

Hillary Parcell, who serves as the chairperson for the nursing program, said the camp allows students to learn hands-on nursing skills in the classrooms at WVU Tech as well as at Beckley ARH and other local hospitals.

“Our goal is to start a pipeline for nursing,” Parcell explained. “These students are just starting to consider what their future careers may be and, if they’re considering nursing, this gives them a taste of what it’s like to be a college nursing student and to see a little of what it’s like to work in the hospitals.”

As the middle and high school students spoke with the flight crew and glimpsed the inside of the helicopter up-close, Cheyenne Wright, a senior at the WVU School of Nursing program in Beckley, recalled her own experience as a camper.

“I was part of this during the very first year in 2018 and had a lot of the same experiences these students are having,” said Wright, a graduate of Oak Hill High School, who volunteered to help with the camp. “It was such a great experience touring the hospitals and the helicopter and now to be here helping these students and to watch them doing these same things is really amazing.

“It feels so good to see the light in their eyes as they learn about nursing and it lights me up to be able to help teach them some of the same things I was taught when I was in the program.”

In addition to the helicopter tour, Lesley Laffterty, an RN and nurse educator at Beckley ARH, said the day included education and games as well as tours throughout the hospital.

Nicholas County High School student Maci Bostic and Greenbrier West High School student Presley Ruff said their camp experiences helped cement their decisions to pursue nursing one day.

And though Alexis Rollins, a student at Westside High School, said nursing was “on the list” as a potential career, she said she enjoyed the opportunity to learn.

“I’m learning a lot and I’ve really enjoyed this whole program,” she said, calling the helicopter tour, “pretty awesome.”

Lafferty said those experiences and the spark of interest they ignite are why the camp is important.

“It’s so important for us to talk to our young people, to get out in the schools and to open our doors so they can see what we do here,” she said. “We want to encourage them and inspire them to consider careers in healthcare and hopefully one day maybe even work here at Beckley ARH.”

Parcell agreed, adding, “We can’t do it without incoming nurses. They’re the future of our facilities.”