A member of the first class of the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program who graduated in 1964 visited the nursing school this week and reflected on her experiences and the growth of the program.
Barbara (Schutz) Mielcarski joined the Herkimer BOCES nursing program in August 1963 at the age of 18, shortly after graduating high school from St. Mary’s Academy in Little Falls. The program trains local adults to become licensed practical nurses.
When she started, the program was still getting going, so the uniforms weren’t available, but she still remembers what they looked like when they came in: white dresses with green and white stripes on the sleeves. It also took three weeks for the textbooks to come in, so class notes were extra important, she said.
“Initially, we were taking all our notes in long form,” Mielcarski said.
While recently going through an album her mother kept, Mielcarski came across an Evening Telegram photo of the first Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program graduating class, the Class of 1964, so she contacted Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Marcia Thomas-Bruce and brought her the newspaper clipping on Monday, March 10.
Thomas-Bruce said she was happy to invite Mielcarski to visit and thankful to receive the newspaper clipping for the program’s display of history in the hallway.
“It’s an honor to meet her,” Thomas-Bruce said. “It’s amazing.”
Anyone else interested in the program is welcome to visit during the Herkimer BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Open House 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.
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.
From then to now
Mielcarski, who turns 80 in June and now lives in Mohawk, recalled that she was one of 18 people in the program’s first class starting in August 1963. She was one of three 18-year-old students starting out of high school. Most of the other students were in their mid-30s, and one was in her mid-60s, she said.
The program was full-time, and the students graduated less than a year later in June or July 1964, and then they passed their state nursing boards in fall 1964, Mielcarski said.
“I would say we were pretty proud that we all graduated and we all passed our state boards,” she said.
Mielcarski said she was impressed with the new nursing facilities and the size of the program.
In addition to the 11-month, full-time program, Herkimer BOCES now also offers 20-month part-time day and part-time evening programs. In July 2024 to start the current school year, the program was up to 96 students.
“Oh, my gosh, they’ve come a long way,” Mielcarski said.
After graduating, Mielcarski spent her whole healthcare career working as an LPN. She worked at St. Elizabeth’s for about six months and then at Herkimer Hospital for about 10 years. Next, she worked at the Kelly, Kroboth and Lee PC surgeon’s office in Herkimer for about 18 years. After that, she opened the Bellinger Woods bed and breakfast on West German Street in Herkimer and operated that for about 10 years. She then moved to North Carolina for about 10 years, before moving back to the area.
She said it’s great that LPNs are still in demand. In response to hearing that the program has a 100% job placement rate for graduates, she said, “That’s great.” She said LPNs can work in many different settings, and they are able to have direct patient interactions.
“They really are needed,” she said. “You have a lot of people working as LPNs. There’s a definite need.”
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Adult Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Marcia Thomas-Bruce (right) poses with Barbara (Schutz) Mielcarski, a member of the program’s first graduating class from 1964, on Monday, March 10, at the Herkimer BOCES Gateway Center in Herkimer.