BRIDGEPORT, W. Va. — As part of his capstone, a WVU School of Nursing student assisted with research for a health and wellness project that could benefit Harrison County residents.
Thomas “TJ” Guire, who recently graduated from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Bridgeport Campus, helped Executive Director at Healthy Harrison, John Nardelli, with researching possibilities to restore or renovate the former Harrison County YMCA.
Healthy Harrison, a nonprofit launched in 2016, aims to implement projects to improve the health of the community. In its decade of work, Healthy Harrison has become the hub for thought leaders for wellness in North Central West Virginia and a “test kitchen” for health-focused ideas.
Dr. Veronica Gallo, WVU School of Nursing Bridgeport Campus Chair, connected Nardelli with Guire, a nursing student from Elkins. Guire obtained his undergraduate degree in exercise physiology from Fairmont State University. He knew he wanted to pursue medicine, but he was initially unsure which path was right for him. After shadowing a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in his junior year of college, he knew he wanted to become a CRNA himself.
During his capstone project, Guire researched adventure parks across the country, from outdoor recreation spaces to best practices for success. He compiled information about a variety of factors, including government loan opportunities, revenue generators, and key community and state partnerships.
“In undergrad, I did a lot of research, which helped me with knowing what to do with the process of everything,” Guire said. “Communication is so important in nursing, and that’s a major item I was tasked with during this project. I was able to utilize two foundations of nursing — research and communication — during my capstone. Our goal was to outline how to best utilize that space for Clarksburg residents.”
Both Nardelli and Guire were able to bring their strengths to the project, with Nardelli sharing his business-minded approach and Guire sharing his health and well-being prospective as a student nurse. Together, they presented their findings in March to the City of Clarksburg. City council members will determine if and how to move forward, but many members spoke favorably about the project.
“One of the unique things about Healthy Harrison is that I’m the only employee,” Nardelli said. “Having TJ to help make calls and put the research together was incredibly helpful. TJ is one of the sharpest guys I’ve ever met. He brought everything to the table and represented our organization really well.”
Guire said being part of the project was rewarding for him.
“It was a great feeling, to hopefully make the project go more smoothly, as well as knowing the work I was doing could potentially help a lot of people,” he said. “Healthy Harrison is doing great things and it’s a wonderful organization for the community.”
Guire graduated this month with his BSN, and he has accepted a position with St. Mary’s in Huntington in the ICU working with open heart surgery patients. After a couple years of experience, he plans to further his education with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthetist degree to become a CRNA.
“I feel like nursing students have an incredible focus,” Nardelli said of his work with Guire. “Their heart is always in the right place. We welcome the opportunity for them to work with us. It’s our honor and privilege to be associated with them and the WVU School of Nursing program.”
For more information about the WVU School of Nursing, visit nursing.wvu.edu.
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