Valley Tech Honors Practical Nursing Class of 2016

Program launches healthcare careers

After receiving their certification in practical nursing, the 19 graduates who are now eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (N-CLEX), which is the final step in becoming a licensed practical nurse in the United States.

UPTON – As their parents, grandparents, and children looked on with pride, members of the Blackstone Valley Tech Practical Nursing Class of 2016 celebrated their graduation on January 20, 2016.
 
A group of nineteen adult students took part in the post-secondary program's commencement ceremony, which marked the culmination of 60 weeks spent balancing family and work with over one-thousand hours of instruction. Members of the Class of 2016 received certificates in practical nursing and are now eligible to become licensed practical nurses by sitting for the National Council Licensure Examination (N-CLEX).
 
The commencement ceremony featured comments and presentations from special guests, including Representative Kevin J. Kuros and Representative Joseph D. McKenna, who presented special citations to graduates from their respective district-towns, including Douglas, Sutton, Bellingham, Blackstone, Millville, and Uxbridge. Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick thanked the lawmakers for their continued support of the program, which has a ripple effect on health and wellness throughout the Blackstone Valley. 
 
"Whether in hospice, assisted living, homecare, or medical centers, the professional field is wide open for these graduates, many of whom will continue to live and work in this region," Fitzpatrick commented. "There is no doubt that countless individuals will receive the care and comfort their deserve thanks to the Practical Nursing Class of 2016."
 
The Class of 2016 is the second to graduate under the leadership of Valley Tech Practical Nursing Coordinator Joann Monks, MBA, MSc, RN-BC, RMA, who praised the students for stepping onto a new career pathway.
 
"You are now part of a noble profession," Monks told the graduates. "It takes a special person to be a nurse, and you are all special people."
 
This year's ceremony also included guest speaker Anne Luippold, R.N., of the Salmon VNA and Hospice in Milford. Drawing on more than thirty-five years' experience in nursing, Luippold advised the graduates to remember that honoring the trust placed in them by patients and families requires empathy, compassion, dignity, and respect for life.
 
"You chose to be all of those things when you chose to be a nurse," Luippold said.
 
Since 2009, Valley Tech's Practical Nursing program has provided life-changing vocational training to adults interested in a rewarding career in the health care industry. In the past four years, graduates have maintained a pass rate of 100% on the National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses. Applications are being accepted for the Post-Secondary Practical Nursing program beginning in August 2016. For more information and to request a program application, visit www.valleytech.k12.ma.us or call the Practical Nursing program at (508) 529-7758 ext. 3122.
 
The BVT Post-Secondary Practical Nursing Class of 2016 included the following dedicated individuals: