KINGSTON – After 1,200 hours of rigorous classroom and clinical instruction over the course of 10 months, 32 graduates of the Ulster BOCES Adult Career Education Center’s School of Practical Nursing took the Florence Nightingale Pledge, promising to dedicate themselves to the welfare of those in their care. Graduates received their certificates and pins during a poignant candle lighting ceremony in the Gymnasium at Ulster BOCES Special Education Center in Port Ewen on June 12.
With their families, friends, and instructors in attendance, the students, who came from across the region, listened intently as faculty and instructors reminisced about the triumphs and challenges the class faced. They also received accolades from members of the Ulster BOCES Board of Education.
Nichole Rosen of Marlboro said she enrolled in the program after being inspired by the nurses who cared for her husband after he suffered a stroke. “That whole incident gave me the extra push I needed to go for it. There is something rewarding in helping people,” Rosen said.
She also said that the program was intense. “The program is very aggressive, but I feel ready to take on a nursing career.”
Amanda Simmons agrees. The Red Hook resident completed the Ulster BOCES Adult Career Education Center’s Nurse Assistant program and really enjoyed the program. “It was a hard ten months. Very stressful, but so worth it,” she says.
The work the graduates will perform once they’re employed includes taking vital signs, observing patients and seeing to their comfort, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, administering medications, dressing wounds, starting IVs, and in some cases, supervising nursing aides or assistants.
For anyone interested in pursuing a career in practical nursing, the Ulster BOCES Adult Career Education Center-Health Occupations Program is holding an information session on June 20 at 4:15 PM at 727 Grant Avenue in Lake Katrine.
The Ulster BOCES Practical Nursing course prepares students for a career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). In addition to classroom studies and practical training in a supervised laboratory facility, students participate in hands-on care in several healthcare facilities throughout the community. To learn more, go to www.ulsterboces.org.
Ulster County
Bronwen Barron, Ulster Park
Rachel Beare, Saugerties
Nicole Beaver, Kingston
Sheila Blasso, Kingston
Nikki Boice, Hurley
Katie Brandt, Port Ewen
Porscha Frost, Kingston
Joel Humphrey, Highland
Michaela Hurley, Highland
Francelix Irizarry, Ellenville
Chelsea Kelder, Hurley
Maurica Mackenzie, Tillson
Loreal Oates, Kingston
Hannah Pelletier, Stone Ridge
Nichole Rosen, Marlboro
Mercedes Sauer, Port Ewen
Diandra Schleede, Kingston
Destiny Thomas, Kingston
Araya Turner, Kingston
Orange County
Angela Fazio, Wallkill
Adelaide Ferris, Walden
Tracy Lempka, Middletown
Carolina Giron, Wallkill
Dutchess County
Andre Bissent, Poughkeepsie
Tethrine Clarke-Watkins, Poughkeepsie
Assata Coston, Poughkeepsie
Jennifer Gugliuzza, Poughkeepsie
Cassidy Muller, Poughkeepsie
Amanda Simmons, Red Hook
Columbia County
Alek Buffa, Hudson
Cristie Hoffman, Styvesant Falls
Greene County
Jeanne Wahlers, Catskill