The Broome-Tioga BOCES six-month Licensed Practical Nursing Program (LPN) is the No. 1 program in New York state for quality nursing education provided in a short time frame, so says AZEDNEWS, an education website focused on the latest news and information about education. Its state mission is to keep readers informed about what’s happening in schools, colleges, and universities across the country and around the world.
Wendy Antalek, BOCES supervisor for Adult Education Health
Careers & Health Services, said this is a big deal.
“Two years ago we were number 11. Our pass rates soared while several institutions dropped. Some places had to close their doors, but our enrollment grew. Over the last two years our enrollment has doubled,” Antalek said. “Our pass rate has increased from 90 to 92 percent.”
It’s a nice jump and a wonderful accolade, she said, but was quick to point out that the B-T BOCES program has a longstanding reputation of excellence.
“We’ve been here for more than 50 years, 52 to be exact,” she said. “Nineteen-seventy-two was the first class.”
Antalek added that having a rigorous program with solid higher education partnerships locally is another calling card for the BOCES nursing program.
“If you graduate from this program – it’s tough – that’s something to be proud of,” she said. “We put all our emphasis on the LPN certifications. A lot of college-based programs may not be as well established because the focus includes college prerequisites and are often bridges to RN programs. Our program gets LPNs from training to gainful employment in a much shorter time than colleges. I think that’s why be beat out colleges and such. That’s just not their focus, and it IS ours,” Antalek added. “Also, we’re not in competition with Binghamton University and SUNY Broome because their focus is the RN programs. We work very well with those local programs. They’re the next level up.”
The difference between an RN and an LPN, Antalek explained, is that an RN requires at least an associate degree and has a slightly different scope of practice. There are a few things that only an RN can do that an LPN can’t do in their scope of practice.
“We always encourage all our students to go on to become an RN because it’s going to increase their career options eventually,” Antalek said.
The New York State-accredited Broome-Tioga BOCES nursing program typically graduates 25 to 35, Antalek said, making them eligible to take their NYS NCLEX PN exam. “This year, though,” she added, “we’ve expanded, and we anticipate seeing 63 graduates receive their certification in June.”
Broome-Tioga BOCES led the publication’s Top 15 listing, with other BOCES programs, college and community college programs following. No. 2 is LaGuardia Community College, with 3, 4 and 5 Niagara County Community College-Sanborn (3), Niagara Falls/Orleans Niagara BOCES (4), and Brooklyn-based AMG School of LPN (5) next.