Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. is an experienced Physican Assistant who joined Southern West Virginia Health System in 2024. Since then, she has been working to improve the health and wellness of the patients she sees by providing local access to family medicine in southern West Virginia.   

Nicole improves the health and wellness of residents at every age and stage of life in Boone County by providing access to quality care at our Sherman Elementary Health Center, Sherman Jr./Sr. High Health Center, and SWVHS – Whitesville.   

Nicole is happy to receive new parental/guardian consent forms at the school-based health centers that she serves and is accepting new patients at SWVHS - Whitesville. 

Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. practices at:   

• Sherman Elementary Health Center 

• Sherman Jr./Sr. High Health Center  

• SWVHS – Whitesville 

Areas of focus for Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. include:  

Helping children maintain their health and wellness through on-site school-based health, well-child visits, immunizations, and more. 

What is a PA-C?   

A PA-C stands for Physician Assistant-Certified. PA-C’s go through a graduate program at an accredited physician assistant program or an established bachelor of physician assistant program, and undergo a rigorous exam known as PANCE, (Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination) through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). PA-C’s are educated in general medicine with a disease-centered curriculum model with the opportunity to specialize in a variety of disciplines.   

What is School-Based Health?   

• They diagnose and treat illness, and in appropriate situations, can perform some minor in-office procedures.   
• PA-C’s are licensed through their state and practice medicine with a supervising physician.   
• They are able to provide direct patient care no matter the age or stage in life.   

What is the goal of school-based health centers?  

At the heart of school-based health is the opportunity to provide school-aged children access to quality-driven medical care during the school day for acute care episodes, well-child visits, and chronic condition management, in an on-site clinic environment.  

The goal of our school-based health center is to provide the children in our community with easier access to healthcare services to:  

• Help meet student care needs as they occur during the school day   

• Shorten the time taken to diagnose a health-related condition and begin treatment  

• Assist parents with helping their child/children to be seen by a provider without having to take time off work or travel to another location for diagnosis or treatment  

• Provide convenient access to well-child visits, immunizations, sports physicals and more   

What type of services can my child/children receive at Sherman Elementary Health Center or Sherman Jr./Sr. High Health Center?  

Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. is trained and equipped to provide care for:  

• Treatment for minor cuts, abrasions, sprains, and strains  

• Treatment of short-term illness  

• Management of long-term conditions  

• Immunizations  

• Sports Physicals  

How can I arrange for my child to participate in receiving care at Sherman Elementary Health Center or Sherman Jr./Sr. High Health Center?  

In order for your child/children to be seen at one of our school-based health centers, a parent or guardian must return a completed school enrollment and consent form to our school-based health center.  For easy access to this form, we have provided a clickable pdf that you can download, fill-out, print out, and return to our school-based health staff.  If you would like a hard copy of this form, just let our staff know and they will be happy to assist you. 

How do I schedule a Family Medicine appointment with Dr. Rollyson at Lincoln Primary Care Center or Guyan Valley Wellness Center? 

To schedule a Family Medicine appointment with Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. at SWVHS - Whitesville, call 304-854-1321 or 304-854-1322 and speak with a Front Office member who will be happy to help you. 

What should I expect at a family medicine appointment if I am a new patient?   

As a new patient to our practice and to Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S., we ask that you arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to process your new patient paperwork. You will be asked to provide your photo identification and medical insurance information to our Front Office member during the check-in process. We ask that you bring a list of all medications you take, both over-the-counter and prescribed, to provide to our nursing staff at the beginning of your appointment with Nicole.  

Your new patient appointment will take approximately a half-hour to establish a strong knowledge of your medical history, assessment of your current condition and services considered necessary by Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S.  

What should I expect at a family medicine appointment as an established patient with Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S.?   

As an established patient with Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S., we ask that you provide your photo identification and medical insurance information to our Front Office member during the check-in process. If you have had any changes to your contact information since the last time you visited us, please let us know during this time.  

Your established patient appointment with Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. will take approximately 15 minutes. This allows the opportunity to discuss any changes in health you have experienced since your last appointment, the opportunity to notify Nicole of any recent hospital or urgent care visits you have experienced, and an update if any of those visits outside of our organization included a medication both over-the-counter and prescribed.  

Are there pharmacy services nearby?   

Should Nicole Ruffner, PA-C, M.S. prescribe a medication to you during your appointment, our Guyan Valley Pharmacy is located inside our Guyan Valley Wellness Center location. We would be happy to fill your prescription in a timely and efficient manner at this location.    

If you prefer to have your prescriptions sent to a different pharmacy, we are happy to do so.  Just let our staff know at the time you are asked which pharmacy location you prefer.