July 2005
Moving On: 2005 Recognition & Graduation Roundup
Fifty-four Graduate Practical Nursing Program
The air hung hot and heavy in the New Paltz High School auditorium, but none of the 54 high school and adult students graduating from the Ulster BOCES Practical Nursing (PN) program seemed to notice. Dressed in starch-white nursing uniforms, their smiles flashed freely for family and friends wielding cameras at the 2005 Pinning Ceremony.
“It feels wonderful to be graduating,” said Nerina Rivera of Saugerties whose 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were there to see their mother graduate at the traditional candlelight ceremony. “They’ve been very supportive and are very proud of me.” Rivera plans to work in a hospital setting, perhaps the medical-surgical unit. “I interned at both Benedictine and Kingston Hospitals during the program and I loved it, especially working with the older people. It’s a very rewarding profession.”
The Ulster BOCES PN program consists of 1,200 hours of clinical and classroom training. Instructional emphasis is placed on nursing skills and scientific principles that are essential to the care of patients in the hospital setting. After graduation from the accredited nursing program and passing the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nursing, the student becomes an integral part of the healthcare community with a variety of client care settings to chose from.
“It’s a great program,” said Colleen Riley, a senior at Kingston High School. The 18-year-old is following in her mother’s footsteps and proud of it. “My mom completed the program three years ago – she gave it high recommendations.” Riley is going on to SUNY Ulster for EMT (emergency medical technician) and paramedic training. “I want to get more trauma training and experience and eventually work in a hospital emergency room.”
In a reverse situation, with the mother following her daughter, is Betty Williams of Highland, whose daughter, Lori Ackert, graduated in 1998 from the Ulster BOCES PN program. “I’m very proud of her,” Ackert said about her mother. “She’s been through a lot.” Ackert’s brother and Williams’ son, Sgt. Eugene Williams, was killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber on March 29, 2003, shortly after Williams enrolled in the PN program. Williams’ mother also attended the graduation. “She’s strong. She’s had to be. She’ll be a good nurse.”
Jay Rogers, 45, who grew up in Kingston, also boasts a family connection to the PN program. “My sister went through the program when she was in high school,” he said. After serving as a medic in the military, Rogers decided he would pursue a nursing degree as well. “I’m hoping to work in a VA clinic or hospital setting to gain some experience and will probably eventually pursue geriatrics and rehabilitation.”
“It’s a difficult profession that you’ve chosen,” Ellen Argust, guest speaker and former graduate of the Ulster BOCES PN program, told the Class of 2005. Argust, RN, BSN, CNOR, is the clinical director of the Hurley Avenue Surgical Center in Kingston. “In this profession, there will be many sad times in the years ahead, but also many happy moments. You’ve been given a special gift. I congratulate you and wish you much success.”
Marita Kitchell, supervisor of Health Occupations and New Visions at Ulster BOCES, congratulated the students and offered some words of wisdom from L. Lynn Wieck, RN, PhD, associate professor and director of Research at Texas Woman’s University in Houston, Texas, and author of Stories for Nurses: Acts of Caring. “We are nurses. Our entire profession is built on the concept of caring. While we promise to render the best care possible to our patients, we are not promising to become their best friends. What we must do is offer excellent care in a nonjudgmental way.”
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