8 Best ADN Programs in West Virginia – (2-Year RN Programs)

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Looking for a way to become a registered nurse in West Virginia in 24 months or less? Check out one of the ADN programs in West Virginia. With an associate degree in nursing from a technical school or community college in the Mountain State, your foundational knowledge of patient care and hands-on clinical skills will attract job offers from hospitals, clinics, and physician practices throughout the state. Your employment options will increase by 12 percent over the next 10 years. In West Virginia, RNs with associate degrees in nursing earn an average salary of $72,230 annually. Learn more by reviewing this list of the 8 best ADN programs in West Virginia.

WHAT ARE THE BEST ADN PROGRAMS IN WEST VIRGINIA (ONLINE AND CAMPUS)?

Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 8 best nursing schools for ADN programs in West Virginia. You can complete most of these programs in 2 years.

1. Salem University - Salem

Program Details: Salem University’s ADN program in West Virginia features online lecture courses but hands-on skills labs plus direct patient care experiences in some of the top medical facilities in the Monongahela Valley Region. The 66-credit program consists of 10 prerequisites and 12 foundational nursing courses, and you’ll take one course per month. Core nursing classes include “Basic Concepts of Nursing,” “Medical-Surgical Nursing 1-3,” and “Advanced Medical-Surgical Nursing 1-3.” The program culminates with a capstone where you’ll integrate what you’ve learned in lectures with your experiences during a supervised clinical practicum.

Salem University has a sophisticated simulation lab equipped with high-tech manikins where you can learn patient care essentials safely. Clinical experiences are scheduled at facilities affiliated with the Mon Health System and other hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities throughout Salem and other communities in northern West Virginia.

Why Choose This Program

• Salem University’s distance-learning platform can be accessed on smartphones and computers so that you can pursue your schoolwork from anywhere with a viable Internet connection.
• Want to continue your professional nursing education? Salem University offers 100 percent online RN-to-BSN and Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees.
• Salem University’s ADN program has a three-year NCLEX-RN pass rate of over 90 percent.

2. Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College - Mount Gay

Program Details: Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College has two tracks for its associate nursing degree: a traditional two-year track and an accelerated 16-month track. The 60-credit curriculum is the same for both programs, but the traditional program starts in the fall, while the accelerated program starts in the spring. The accelerated program only accepts applicants who are licensed practical nurses or who hold some other allied health degree or certification such as Medical Assisting, Respiratory Therapy, or Surgical Technology. This ADN program in West Virginia is available at SWVCTC’s campuses in Mount Gay, Bluefield County, and Buchanan County.

Foundational nursing courses include “Nursing Concepts of Health and Illness I & II” and “Synthesis of Nursing Concepts.” Students enrolled in the traditional 2-year RN program in West Virginia take classes on weekends and have summers off, while students enrolled in the accelerated program attend school for four continuous semesters (spring, summer, fall, and spring) and participate in classes and clinical rotations every other weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Students participate in simulations and other lab exercises to perfect their essential nursing skills. Clinical rotations are scheduled at hospitals, clinics, and other medical sites throughout West Virginia.

Why Choose This Program

• Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s ADN graduates have outstanding NCLEX-RN pass rates, consistently exceeding 93 percent.
• Are you a resident of West Virginia who intends to work in the Mountain State after graduation? You may be able to attend this program tuition-free through the West Virginia Invests grant program.

3. West Virginia Junior College - Morgantown & Charleston

Program Details: If it’s classroom instruction you’re after, West Virginia Junior College offers associate nursing degree classes at its campuses in Charleston, Morgantown, and Bridgeport. But WVJC is another one of the ADN programs in West Virginia that provides students living outside its campus areas with hybrid learning opportunities.

Residents of Berkley, Wood, Randolph, Roane, Cabell, Logan, Raleigh, and Greenbrier Counties can access their nursing lecture coursework online and participate in clinical experiences at such hospitals as Mon Health Medical Center, Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, and WVU Medicine United Hospital Center.

Semesters are divided into two six-week terms. West Virginia Junior College really wants its nursing students to succeed, so in addition to general education requirements and core nursing coursework, you’ll also take classes like “Student Success Strategies for Nursing” and “Math for Health Professionals.” Core nursing courses include “Nursing Care of the Client I – V,” “Pharmacology I & II,” and “Women’s Health Nursing.” Labs and clinical experiences are folded into nursing lecture coursework.

Why Choose This Program

• West Virginia Junior College has a traveling nursing simulation laboratory! Three buses outfitted with hospital equipment and high-tech manikins tour the state, supplementing online nursing coursework and giving rural students the opportunity to learn new nursing skills in a mobile, state-of-the-art setting.
• Graduates of this ADN program can transfer their credits to West Virginia Junior College’s accelerated online RN-to-BSN program, which will only take 12 months to complete.
• The curriculum of this 2-year nursing program in West Virginia meets the state educational requirements for licensure in Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky as well as West Virginia.

4. Blue Ridge Community and Technical College - Martinsburg

Program Details: Applicants to Blue Ridge Community and Technical College’s ADN program in West Virginia must complete a Medical Assisting: Nursing Foundation track to meet the program’s prerequisites. You can attend lecture courses at the college’s campus in Martinsburg, or you can access them online, but you must participate in all skills labs and clinical experiences in person. The college admits new students into its traditional associate nursing degree program in the fall and spring.

Once you’re enrolled in the ADN program, you’ll take 36 credits of core nursing courses, including “Nursing Care I – IV” and “Nursing Pharmacology I, II, & III.” Laboratory, simulation, and clinical experiences are integrated into lecture components. The curriculum concludes with a “Transition to Practice” course that integrates a capstone preceptor experience with NCLEX-RN review. You’ll participate in supervised patient care experiences at healthcare providers throughout Martinsburg and other communities in Berkeley County.

Why Choose This Program

• Blue Ridge Community and Technical College also offers an accelerated LPN-to-RN bridge program that starts in the summer.
• Looking for a West Virginia ADN program with a proven track record for success? Blue Ridge Community and Technical College’s associate nursing degree graduates have a three-year NCLEX-RN pass rate of over 92 percent.

5. BridgeValley Community and Technical College - South Charleston

Program Details: BridgeValley Community and Technical College has one of the most versatile approaches to 2-year RN programs in West Virginia: The school offers five different ways to earn an associate nursing degree! The traditional option spreads 65 credits of coursework over two years, while the accelerated option compresses the time you need to spend in school to 16 months. (Note that you must spend an additional year completing 27 credits of general education requirements before you begin the associate nursing degree.)

BridgeValley CTC also offers an LPN-to-RN option that awards advanced placement credit to LPNs who take the college’s “Transition to Professional Nursing” course, a separate four-semester VoTech-to-RN track for LPNs who aren’t trying to earn advanced placement, and a three-semester Paramedic-to-RN track for certified paramedics.

The college has a sophisticated nursing simulation lab where students participate in interactive skills-learning scenarios. Clinical rotations take place at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout South Charleston and nearby communities.

Why Choose This Program

• Through the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program, BridgeValley Community and Technical College ADN students can receive up to $25,000 in financial aid in exchange for a three-year work commitment once they attain their RN license.
• BridgeValley CTC’s WIN Academy (Workforce Initiative for Nurses) provides an accelerated high school curriculum for juniors and seniors who are passionate about becoming registered nurses.
• BridgeValley CTC’s partnership with Marshall University allows BridgeValley’s ADN graduates to transfer their credits to Marshall’s RN-to-BSN program seamlessly.

6. University of Charleston - Charleston

Program Details: What makes the University of Charleston’s associate nursing degree track one of the best ADN programs in West Virginia? Several factors! Fifty percent of the core nursing classes in UC’s 61-credit ADN program are delivered asynchronously online, which means you can access them any time you have a break in your busy schedule. Plus the entire course of study will only take full-time students 16 months to complete. This ADN program in West Virginia accepts new students in the fall, spring, and summer. Classroom courses are taught at the university’s campuses in Charleston and Beckley.

Nursing lecture courses and clinically oriented courses are taught separately, so you’ll take “Fundamentals of Nursing” and “Fundamentals of Nursing Clinical/Lab/Simulation” in the same semester. Other foundational nursing courses include “Medical Surgical Nursing I, II, & III,” “Mental Health Nursing,” and “Pediatric Nursing.” The university also teaches a course on strategies for passing the NCLEX-RN exam.

You’ll learn essential hands-on skills in UC’s healthcare simulation lab, which is equipped with high-tech manikins and virtual hospital units. Your clinical rotations, which take place at various healthcare institutions throughout the Charleston Metropolitan Region, include a 180-hour practicum supervised by a professional RN.

Why Choose This Program

• University of Charleston’s ADN program maintains a student/faculty ratio of 8:1 in all its clinical and simulation exercise sections, which means you’ll have plenty of opportunities to be mentored by your instructors.
• Graduates of this ADN program are eligible to enroll in University of Charleston’s RN-to-BSN program.
• If you’re interested in continuing your professional nursing journey, University of Charleston offers a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree (with nurse practitioner options) and a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree.

7. Davis & Elkins College - Elkins

Program Details: Davis & Elkin’s 2-year RN program in West Virginia is highly regarded for the excellence of its clinical training. You’ll do clinical rotations at healthcare facilities like Davis Medical Center, West Virginia University Medicine United Hospital Center, and William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital, and participate in one-to-one externships at medical sites such as Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital, Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital, and Broaddus Hospital. The College’s Center for Advanced Clinical Learning is a state-of-the-art facility located on the Davis Medical Center campus, equipped with high-fidelity manikins, one outpatient, and three inpatient simulated hospital rooms.

The 72-credit ADN program includes general education requirements and core nursing courses such as “Disruptions in Health I, II, & III,” “Nursing Care of Older Adults,” and “Disruptions in Mental Health.” Admission into this program is highly competitive, and applicants must score 64 percent or higher on the TEAS and an ACT composite score of 20 or SAT score of 460-math, 500-verbal. Though Davis & Elkins College is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, the college welcomes students from all faith backgrounds.

Why Choose This Program

• The three-year NCLEX-RN pass rate for this program’s graduates is 100 percent.
• 100% of Davis & Elkins College ADN graduates are employed in nursing within six months of passing the NCLEX-RN.
• Davis & Ellis offers an online RN-to-BSN program for graduates of its ADN program who want to continue their professional nursing development.

8. Fairmont State University - Fairmont, WV

Program Details: Fairmont State University’s traditional 2-year nursing program in West Virginia is a full-time curriculum that requires weekday attendance at classes and clinical activities. The program admits 48 students each spring and fall. The 60-credit curriculum includes prerequisites and nursing courses like “Fundamentals of Nursing,” “Nursing Care of Adults I, II, & III,” and “Care of Children and Adolescents.” In your fourth semester, you’ll take a capstone class that focuses on your ability to apply what you’ve learned in lecture courses to real-life patient care. Expect to spend two days a week in the classroom and two days a week pursuing clinical activities. Courses are taught at the university’s campus in Fairmount.

The university also offers two other associate nursing degree programs. Its LPN-to-ADN program admits 32 students each spring and fall, while its weekend program (designed for working students) admits 32 students every spring. The weekend program schedules classes and clinical activities on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and also offers some lecture courses online.

Clinical rotations and other clinical experiences are conducted at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare agencies throughout Fairmont and adjacent communities. FSU’s Nursing Simulation Center, housed in Colebank Hall, has six virtual hospital units: three adult units, one pediatric unit, one infant unit, and one birthing unit.

Why Choose This Program

• If you complete the first two semesters of Fairmount State University’s traditional ADN with a grade point average of 2.75 or higher, you may qualify to take the first two courses in FSU’s three-semester, online RN-to-BSN degree and get a head start on your nursing future.
• West Virginia healthcare employers jump at the chance to hire Fairmount State University-educated RNs! The ADN program has a 100 percent employment rate.


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