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| 20 LPNs graduate
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| Sunday
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20 LPNs graduate
For the first time since 1986, a group of Charles H. McCann Technical School graduates is ready to enter the practical nursing field. "
We have waited 20 years for this moment," said Northern Berkshire Vocational School District Superintendent James J. Brosnan as he welcomed the 20 graduates and about 100 guests to a pinning ceremony last night in the school's new gymnasium.
The group is the 28th graduating class of the practical nursing program at McCann. The previous class graduated in June 1986 with 22 students, after which the program was phased out due to low enrollment. Asked why it was brought back, postsecondary program department head Patricia Durkee said: "Demand — most definitely demand." According to a report released by the American Hospital Association in April 2006, hospitals in the United States were in need of approximately 118,000 registered nurses to fill vacant positions.
Brosnan said that it took four years to coordinate with the Board of Higher Education and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing to reinstate the program. Last fall, students in McCann's carpentry, electrical, information technology, metal fabrication and computer-aided design departments designed and helped reconstruct a practical lab for the program in a former 3,000-square-foot obstetrical/gynecological suite, which was donated by North Adams Regional Hospital.
Graduate Kevin Dunlop of North Adams described the program as being "very comprehensive and very competitive." To gain entrance to the program, candidates had to take an exam and go through a rigorous interview process. The result was a diverse group of students from their 20s to mid-50s, including working mothers, fathers and mothers-to-be.
"These are the 20 best people you could ever meet," said graduate Julia Bassett of North Adams. "In January, we had 20 students start and now we've had 20 students finish. That's unmatched for any class," Durkee said.
The program's first class graduated in December 1963 with five students. A total of 456 students have graduated from this program. Guest speaker and former McCann practical nursing graduate Susan J. Gancarz, now the vice president of continuing care services of Northern Berkshire Health Systems, addressed the group, saying they had taken a "short-term journey to a long-term nursing career."
The ceremony concluded with Principal Gary F. Rivers calling the students to receive engraved certificates, which were distributed by School Committee Chairman Daniel J. Maloney Jr. Each graduate also received a pin from a relative who is a nurse and/or mentor.
Graduate Alyssa Beebe led the group in a candle-lighting ceremony and a reading of the Nurse's Pledge.
The graduates are now entitled to sit for the National Counsel Licensing Examination for Practical Nurses, and will be eligible to become a licensed practical nurse upon passing the exam. |
posted by blogger @ 18:41
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