One hundred and forty adults are looking to change their careers or bolster their employability this fall through the Capital Region BOCES Adult Practical Nursing program.
The adult full-time students range from those fresh out of high school to those looking to launch a new career, as well as those looking to climb the nursing career ladder, said Paula Negri, director of Health Careers and Services.
Among the students enrolled when the new school year launched on Sept. 7 is Rensselaer resident Tanzania Scott.
“I am enrolled because I need to improve my position. I am a CNA and I like what I do now with helping people, so I see this as a step forward,” she said.
Albany resident Denee Daley said she is looking to follow in her family members’ footsteps.
“I come from a family of nurses. My mom, my sisters, a couple of cousins, are all nurses. I like to help people and it’s a step up for me because I am a CNA now,” she said.
For Schenectady resident Sharice Cosper and Troy resident Eleanor Francis, the decision to pursue a career as a practical nurse was a simple one.
“I like people and I like helping people. I am the oldest of 10 kids, so I have been taking care of people for a long time. Now was the right time to do this,” said Francis. “I have kids of my own now and they are older, so when they go to school, so do I.”
Cosper added that “I have been a CNA for 9 years and I really like it, but it was time to move up.”
As has been widely publicized, demand is high for nurses and local institutions have renewed their efforts to work with schools, such as Capital Region BOCES, to meet their needs.
Vincent D’Angelo, a nursing administrator at Albany Medical, said the BOCES program offers a great opportunity for healthcare institutions who are facing a “big need for new hires across the board.”
“It’s a great program because you get a lot of variety in the graduates and in what they want. Some want to be on the floor, others in outpatient practice, others elsewhere,” he said earlier this year.
The full-time Adult Practical Nursing (APN) program at the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus continues into June when the program will graduate its students into the world of being a licensed practical nurse (LPN). The New York state-approved program encompasses 1,100 hours of classroom and clinical study and practice and prepares students to take the National Council Licensure Examination and apply to become a New York state LPN.
For more information on Adult Health Careers offerings, call 518-862-4709 or email healthcareers@neric.org.