A Career Dedicated to Nursing Education: Dr. April Shapiro celebrates retirement as Keyser Campus Chair
KEYSER, W. Va. — Although nursing was not part of her original plan, Dr. April Shapiro has built a legacy in the profession through her dedication to lifelong learning and her passion for inspiring the next generation of nurses.
“I was not a person who knew I wanted to be a nurse,” Shapiro shared. “When I graduated high school, I was head over heels in love with my husband and I thought I would teach math or maybe be a psychiatrist.”
Shapiro had worked in fast food and retail, but after getting married and having a child, she decided she wanted a career that would allow her to be a role model for her daughter. While working at her husband’s clothing store, her coworkers made a life changing suggestion.
“I told them I couldn’t figure out what to do, and they said, ‘You love science. You’re so compassionate. Why not try nursing?’”
Getting Her Start
She began taking classes at Allegany College of Maryland and immediately felt at home. After completing her pre-requisites, she applied and was accepted to the nursing program.
“From the first moment I sat in that nursing classroom, I knew I was where I belonged,” Shapiro said. “I knew I had found my niche.”
She found her calling in more ways than one — she was inspired by her PhD-prepared advisor. She knew not only that she wanted to be a nurse, but that she wanted to teach and eventually earn her doctorate.
Shapiro completed her associate’s degree in 1991. She pursued her bachelor’s degree at a satellite campus of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, taught through interactive video, at Frostburg State. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1994.
She worked as a registered nurse while continuing her education, first in long-term care then on a medical-surgical unit at a local hospital. She especially enjoyed the interaction and education with patients and their families. She then worked in oncology, where she challenged herself to work with central lines and chemotherapy patients while also pursuing her master’s degree part-time through the University of Maryland at Baltimore.
As she completed her master’s degree in nursing education in 1997, she began working for an orthopedic group of physicians, where she not only gained valuable hands-on skills like removing staples and sutures and applying casts and braces, but she also learned leadership skills and teaching. She also did some part-time clinical teaching for Allegany College. She remembers receiving a 2:30 p.m. call while at work one day, from an instructor at local LPN program. She told Shapiro if she was still interested in teaching, to fax her resume to Mineral County Schools by 4 p.m. She frantically made the deadline and received the job – her first official teaching job in nursing.
Making Her Mark
The practical nursing program at Mineral County Technical Center consisted of a coordinator and Shapiro, who taught didactic and clinicals for pharmacology, nutrition, social concepts, med-surg, pediatrics, and mental health. The coordinator took Shapiro under her wing, mentoring her and allowing her to gain decision-making and leadership skills. When the coordinator retired, Shapiro assumed the position. Around this time, she also began working toward her PhD in Nursing, an accomplishment she achieved through West Virginia University in 2017.
During that time, Shapiro joined an advisory board to discuss bringing a baccalaureate nursing program to WVU Potomac State College. With Dean Tara Hulsey’s approval, the WVU School of Nursing would lead the program at the Keyser Campus. And when the time came to hire a department chair, Shapiro expressed her interest. She prepared thoroughly for her interview, even finding a family connection to the college’s first president in the 1900s in her research. She was offered the position and excitedly accepted.
“I was involved in everything from the ground up,” Shapiro said. She coordinated with everyone from facilities, maintenance, and IT to keep the project moving forward, and within a year, the program was ready to begin admitting students.
“I can still remember the first applicant, graduating that first class in 2021, and receiving news that the first graduate had passed her boards” Shapiro recalled. “I called them our trailblazers. It was so rewarding to see them graduate and become nursing professionals.”
She gives credit to the faculty and the culture at the Keyser Campus for their success. Each of the professors are committed to lifelong learning, and they set the example well for their students. She also credits the willingness of everyone to pitch in to get the job done, whether it’s graduation preparation, lectureship events, or health fairs.
“We do it because of the outcome we see from it — the joy and success of the students.”
Coming Full Circle
Since joining the WVU School of Nursing, Shapiro had dreamed of creating a pathway for licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses. She knew the timing would need to be right, for the traditional BSN program to be well established at Keyser before branching out.
After the successful graduation of the first cohort, Shapiro reached out to Dean Hulsey, who gave her the green light to explore the possibility. She researched the curriculum and policies and proposed an LPN to BSN pathway.
“That coming to fruition was so rewarding. It was like the missing thread, connecting what got me started with teaching with what I was doing now,” Shapiro said. “I appreciate that Dean Hulsey had faith in me to do that. She gave me guidance but the academic freedom to explore and do it, to put my own stamp on it. This position I have had with the WVU School of Nursing is the best I’ve ever had. I reached the pinnacle. It’s everything I wanted to accomplish from day one.”
Shapiro will retire on May 15, 2026. The first cohort of the LPN to BSN program will graduate in 2027, and Shapiro says she will be in the front row at commencement to congratulate them.
After retiring, Shapiro plans to spend more time with her husband, who she says has always been her biggest cheerleader throughout her career. Dr. Matthew Hottle has been appointed by Dean Hulsey to fill the Keyser Campus Chair position following Shapiro’s retirement.
“Everything has come full circle,” Shapiro said. “It was so much more than I could have ever hoped for in my life. Nursing wasn’t something I thought of as a child, but it found me and I found it, and it was so much more than I expected.”
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MEDIA CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu