ONEONTA, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network’s A.O. Fox Hospital and Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ONC BOCES) on June 26 graduated the first class of licensed practical nursing (LPN) students who began their studies since the program transitioned to the hospital in the fall of 2024. “You didn’t just complete a program, […]
ONEONTA, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network’s A.O. Fox Hospital and Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ONC BOCES) on June 26 graduated the first class of licensed practical nursing (LPN) students who began their studies since the program transitioned to the hospital in the fall of 2024.
“You didn’t just complete a program, you answered a calling,” ONC BOCES Director of Student Services April Erkson told the graduating class. Erkson delivered the welcome address at the June 26 ceremony at SUNY Oneonta, celebrating 23 graduates.
The 10-month program required students to complete intensive classroom study in the areas of nursing fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, growth and development, maternity and pediatrics, ethics, and other clinical disciplines. The class observed and rotated in clinical areas at A.O. Fox Hospital, Fox Nursing Home, and across Bassett Healthcare Network, gaining hands-on experience alongside the program’s academic components. Students also engaged in clinical simulation laboratories to apply practical skills.
Joan MacDonald, president and CEO of Helios Care, and Jennifer Gerster, clinical instructor, led the pinning ceremony, which marks a nurse’s official entry to the field.
Bassett Healthcare Network’s nursing recruitment team is working with the graduates as they pursue positions within the health system.
