Associate Professor , West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine , and Family Nurse Practitioner , Pocahontas Memorial Hospital
Jill D . Cochran , Ph . D ., APRN
Associate Professor , West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine , and Family Nurse Practitioner , Pocahontas Memorial Hospital
STACI MILLER
Born in the rural coal mining town of Quinwood , WV , Jill Cochran , Ph . D ., APRN , was influenced by her parents to serve the community . They managed a small department store , which was the heart of the town , and worked with food pantries and their church even in the store ’ s last years of operation . Cochran believes they left a legacy of love in a fading town . Growing up in a small community that faced various levels of poverty drove her to serve people as her parents did in the past .
After fulfilling her dream of becoming a registered nurse and marrying an agricultural worker , she moved to Romney , WV . Cochran worked in a number of small rural hospitals , and most were run by the community and were more than two hours from a larger medical facility .
“ At that time , many hospitals didn ’ t have physicians on-site 24 / 7 like they do today ,” Cochran recalls . “ Most of the time doctors were called in for emergencies , new admissions and to do rounds .”
The shortage of providers and the long distance to large , well-funded medical institutions led Cochran to make another career change to become a nurse practitioner to better serve patients .
“ As one of the first nurse practitioners in a three-county area , I was not immediately accepted into the professional
Photo by WVSOM Marketing Department .
health care ranks ,” she says . “ Even other nurses didn ’ t understand the difference between a nursing assistant and a nurse practitioner . My first exam room was a renovated rest room that barely had room for an exam table . When trying to call in a report to the local emergency department , the physician would not take the report from me and demanded another physician give the report . There were usually no other physicians in the rural clinics , so I learned to change my voice pretty well back then . I was able to keep my head down and just do good care . My patients never questioned my credentials and gave me so much gratitude for my help .”
Despite these challenges and working full time , Cochran was committed to learning more and doing more to understand health behaviors and problems in West Virginia . Seeing obesity problems , especially in pediatrics , was heartbreaking . She also saw the overwhelming population of infants and children impacted by substance use and the need to help grandparents and foster parents manage infants in withdrawal . With so many people needing help and so little resources available , she did all she could and considered herself a career student pursuing one degree after another . Before online classes were available , Cochran engaged in
68 WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE