Beaver College of Health Sciences

By Amanda Mlekush 

As a new father and, later, in his work as president and co-founder of a Charlotte-based medical supply company, Chris McCaw ‘03 developed a special appreciation for the role of registered nurses working in the healthcare industry. McCaw also wanted to find a way to give back to his alma mater, Appalachian State University, where he and his wife graduated in 2003. 

In 2023, McCaw created the Resilient Medical Solutions medical support program fund to provide nursing uniforms to students as they begin clinical rotations in area hospitals, long-term care facilities and skilled nursing centers. All App State nurses wear a uniform — either black or gold — that features the signature Appalachian Block A to identify them as a student nurse in training. 

“I wanted to be able to provide something tangible and immediately useful for students studying to be a nurse, and was able to find a creative approach to help those students from the team here at Appalachian,” McCaw said. “When my wife and I had our first child, I was blown away by the labor and delivery nurses who cared for our family. It was a real eye opener for me to see how they took care of all of us.” 

(Caption: About half of the cohort of 2023 cohort of spring nursing students stand in the Atrium of Leon Levine Hall; this group of students received their nursing uniform thanks to McCaw's donation to the program.) 

Nursing students can spend up to $200 each when purchasing their uniform; McCaw’s donation covered the cost for 53 students, or the entire 2023 nursing cohort at App State, to purchase scrub tops, scrub bottoms, lab coats and a jacket. His donation will help the 2024 cohort as well. 

“We appreciate this wonderful, and practical, gift from Chris to our nursing students,” said Dr. Kathleen Rayman, chair of the App State Nursing Department. “Our students experience his generosity every day as they wear their uniforms in labs and during clinical learning at hospitals and other settings.”

“The type of people who are drawn to the nursing profession are special people,” said McCaw. “Anyone who has been a patient or had a loved one who has been a patient in a hospital or other type of facility can tell you how critical it is to have high quality nursing care.” 

About the Nursing program at App State

App State has a strong tradition of educating nurses. The program boasts a five-year NCLEX first-time pass rate of 97%, with 100% of the spring 2023 cohort passing their boards on their first try. 

The program is also expanding based on a request from the NC Legislature to address the statewise nursing shortage. From 2023-2026, the number of nursing students at App State will increase by 50% as the program admits eight additional students into each year’s cohort. 

About the Beaver College of Health Sciences

Appalachian State University’s Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS), opened in 2010, is transforming the health and quality of life for the communities it serves through interprofessional collaboration and innovation in teaching, scholarship, service and clinical outreach. BCHS offers nine undergraduate degree programs and seven graduate degree programs, which are organized into six departments: Nursing, Nutrition and Health Care Management, Public Health and Exercise Science, Recreation Management and Physical Education, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Social Work. The college’s academic programs are located in the Holmes Convocation Center on App State’s main campus and the Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art, 203,000-square-foot facility that is the cornerstone of the Wellness District. In addition, the college supports the Blue Cross NC Institute for Health and Human Services and has collaborative partnerships with the Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program, the Appalachian Regional Health System and numerous other health agencies. Learn more at https://healthsciences.appstate.edu.

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