News
September 17, 2020In the Midst of a Pandemic, Dozens Enroll in the Capital Region BOCES Adult Nursing Program
More than 100 adults are looking to change their careers or bolster their employability through the Capital Region BOCES Adult Practical Nursing program.
The 103 adult students range from those fresh out of high school to adults looking to launch a new career. The program – which has taught as many as 150 adults – is capped at 103 students for the fall because of safety measures put in place for COVID-19; a waiting list of three dozen students is growing daily.
The Adult Practical Nursing (APN) program begins on Monday at the Capital Region BOCES Albany campus and 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 APN 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.
Students will learn in a hybrid model – reporting for in-person classes every other day and taking lessons virtually on the “off days”. They will complete their clinical hours in facilities around the region, as they have in the past, said Principal Paula Negri.
With 9 percent growth in demand forecast by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for LPNs over the next decade and a median salary of $47,480 in 2010, LPNs are in demand and rewarded for their skills.
“We’ve had really good candidates come out of these programs; we had a number of hires from this career fair in the past year and I see no reason why this year will be different,” said Celeste Conte, a recruiter for Albany Medical Center.
