The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Gateway Center has become a true base for the Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing program over the past couple of years, and program leaders are inviting interested students to visit the facility at their upcoming Open House.
The Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program moved to the Gateway Center in June 2023, about 60 years after the program first opened. The location features two classrooms, a break area, offices, a practice lab, a simulation lab and a computer lab that doubles as a library with nursing resources.
“I feel like it’s home,” Adult Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Marcia Thomas-Bruce said. “I feel like we settled in, and we were able to get our feet wet, and it definitely feels like we belong here.”
The Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Open House is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center on the second floor of the Arc Herkimer building at 420 E. German St. in Herkimer.
Local adults interested in joining the program are invited to attend the Open House to visit classrooms and labs in action, receive a tour of the facilities, learn about financial aid opportunities, speak with a Working Solutions representative and meet faculty, current students and graduates.
“We have the sim lab that’s going to be running, so they could see it in full swing,” Thomas-Bruce said. “They could observe for a little bit about what to expect during that, which is really kind of neat. That’s like our highlight – really excited about that.”
The Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program offers three different options to local adults: a 12-month full-time class, a 20-month part-time day class and a 20-month part-time evening class. The program trains students to work as licensed practical nurses and/or continue their education in healthcare.
The program is currently recruiting students for the next LPN classes. Those interested in joining the program should contact Stacie Shedd at 315-867-2209 or sshedd@herkimer-boces.org as soon as possible to get their entrance exam scheduled. Students must complete their entrance exam by May 16, 2025.
Another way to get started with the application process is to complete a short interest form at www.herkimer-boces.org/forms/lpn.
Classes for the full-time program will begin in July 2025, and those students completing the program will graduate in June 2026. Classes for the part-time day and part-time evening programs will begin in September 2025, and those students completing the program will graduate in June 2027.
Find more information about the program at www.herkimer-boces.org/lpn.
Program history
The Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program has been based out of several local locations since it opened more than 60 years ago in 1963 – initially utilizing local healthcare facilities to train and fill the need for LPNs through a full-time program.
In 1967, the program operated out of the Mohawk Mill on East Main Street in Mohawk. In 1974, the nursing program moved to the Herkimer BOCES William E. Busacker Complex on Gros Boulevard in East Herkimer. While still at the WEB Complex in 1989, the nursing program launched the part-time day class.
Expansion demanded more changes, and in 2002, the program relocated to a healthcare facility on Sixth Avenue in Ilion. In 2009, another part-time program was added based on utilizing nights and weekends. The first part-time evening class graduated in 2011.
In the summer of 2014, the program moved again to the old Remington Elementary School on East North Street in Ilion that is now the Herkimer BOCES Remington Educational Complex.
In June 2023, the program moved once more to the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center on the second floor of the Arc Herkimer building at 420 E. German St. in Herkimer.
‘The perfect place’
In addition to housing the nursing program, the Gateway Center includes Herkimer BOCES conference rooms and offices for other Herkimer BOCES programs. Prior to the Herkimer BOCES programs moving in, the facilities were renovated.
The new construction along with the large windows create a positive atmosphere, Thomas-Bruce said.
“It’s sunny and bright and cheerful,” she said. “It’s a nice area for learning.”
The location also allows the program to have all its offices, classrooms and labs right next to each, so that makes everything easier, Thomas-Bruce said.
“It’s just a nice feel. We have state-of-the-art equipment, and that’s helpful for students, and we’re advancing the LPN program,” Thomas-Bruce said. “We have an influx of students, and I feel like this is the perfect place.”
Enrollment has increased for the LPN program – going up by more than 35% from 71 students in July 2023 to 96 students in July 2024. That trend looks to continue with 25 students already completing their entrance exams for the classes starting in 2025.
‘A really great thing’
Adult Practical Nursing Program instructor Erin Brien also said the Gateway Center now feels like home for the program.
“Oh, I think it absolutely is,” Brien said. “It’s nice. It seems more modern just because it’s newer.”
Full-time student Iriele Chery, of Utica, said she enjoys many aspects of the facility – including the parking, the building itself and how all of the classrooms and labs are right together. She also enjoys that the Gateway Center is “nice and quiet” in the evening, and she can get some extra one-on-one help.
“I love it actually a lot,” Chery said. “The program’s good. The teachers are amazing.”
Part-time day student Crystal Spisak, of Herkimer, enjoys everything about the Gateway Center from the classrooms and labs to the kitchen and break room.
“I think the facility is really nice,” Spisak said. “I feel like it’s up to date. I feel like it’s nice and new.”
Other aspects such as the screens instructors use in classrooms and the laptops students get to use also are beneficial, Spisak said.
“I feel like it’s been a really great thing,” she said. “I feel like the teachers and the staff are really, really great.”
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Marcia Thomas-Bruce (left) and part-time day student Crystal Spisak (right) practice with a mannequin in the program’s simulation lab.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program full-time student Lanyia Brown reviews medications and other patient information as part of the program’s simulation lab.