Above, LPN Valedictorian 2019: Heidi Mix, director of Regional Medical Programs (left) with Class Valedictorian Jenna Staheli.

Submitted photos and press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership recently celebrated the graduation of 23 students from its School of Practical Nursing program. Of these 23 students, 18 students graduated with high honors, a 90 percent or above.

Students took part in this 12-month, 1,200-clock-hour program that is certified by the New York State Education Department. It is designed to prepare graduates for the NCLEX-PN Examination for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

This course is offered in three different sites located in Batavia, Rochester Tech Park in Gates, and Mount Morris.

“As a nurse, you can truly make a difference in someone’s life; you could help save a life or help bring a new one into the world," said Heidi Mix, regional director of medical programs. "You can care for patients as they recover, and assist families through some of the most difficult times in their lives.

"A career in healthcare truly is rewarding. The need for nurses grows every day. Our School of Nursing Programs have a 100-percent placement rate.”

For more information about this program, contact the Adult Education/School of Practical Nursing at (585) 344-7788.

Below, LPN Perfect Attendance 2019: Heidi Mix, director of Regional Medical Programs, (left) congratulates LPN graduates Jenna Staheli, Amanda Booth and Denise Bagwell, for earning perfect attendance.

About the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership:

It offers a broad scope of adult education programs including a School of Practical Nursing and a Certified Nursing Assistant program, vocational training as well as classes for those seeking to broaden their skill sets. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state.

Heidi Mix, above left, director of Regional Medical Programs (left) with Katie Lyons, class Valedictorian. 

Submitted photos and press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership recently celebrated the graduation of 20 students from its School of Practical Nursing program.

Of these 20 students, 15 students graduated with honors.

Students took part in this 12-month, 1,200-clock-hour program that is certified by the New York State Education Department. The program is designed to prepare graduates for the NCLEX-PN Examination for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

This course is offered in three different sites located in Batavia, Rochester Tech Park in Gates, and Leicester.

For more information about this program, contact the Adult Education/School of Practical Nursing at 344-7788.

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The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership offers a broad scope of adult education programs including a School of Practical Nursing and a Certified Nursing Assistant program, vocational training as well as classes for those seeking to broaden their skill sets. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York State. 

(Photo below: Heidi Mix, director of Regional Medical Programs (left) congratulates LPN graduate London Aylor.)

Genesee Community College will host a Recruitment Open House for the Nursing Program from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at GCC's Medical Technology Building in Batavia.

GCC invites anyone interested in joining the GCC Nursing Program faculty to come to the open house and meet Director of Nursing, Laurel Sanger, Human Resources Recruiters and members of the Nursing Program Faculty team.

At this time, GCC is recruiting for full-time positions in the fields of obstetrics, pediatrics, mental-health and medical-surgical. In addition to these, GCC is continuously recruiting for adjunct clinical instructors.

Details on these career opportunities are available here.

GCC's Nursing Program Faculty members work in an innovative and supportive environment using state-of-the-art nursing laboratories and are able to participate in clinical placements in Buffalo, Batavia and Rochester. Our faculty members enjoy a superior benefits package and a culture that encourages personal and professional growth and development.

If this sounds like the environment for you, RSVP via email to hr@genesee.edu or by calling (585) 345-6808 today and come check out the facility on Jan. 24. Walk-ins are also welcome. Qualified applicants must have or obtain a master's degree in Nursing by Aug. 31, 2019. Concentrations in Nursing Education are preferred but not required.

The University of Rochester School of Nursing is offering 50-percent tuition support in scholarships for its Care Manager Education, RN-to-BS completion and Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs to meet the educational needs of health care employees in the Finger Lakes region.

Infusing the region with graduates from the three programs will directly fill gaps in care to help patients achieve better health outcomes.

Currently, there’s a rising demand for nurses resulting from a transformation of the region’s Medicaid health care delivery system, through the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, regionally organized by the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS).  New York State is using the DSRIP reform model to improve clinical outcomes and reduce avoidable ED use and hospitalizations by 25 percent over five years.

FLPPS — a not-for-profit organization representing a network of 28 hospitals, 3,000 health care providers and more than 600 health care and community-based organizations in a 13 county region — aims to address current shortfalls in the health care system, including the role of behavioral health in primary care and skilled nursing facilities, patient care transitions, chronic disease management, and integrating health care services across multiple care settings. The FLPPS region covers Allegany, Cayuga, Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties.
 
For more information, visit the School of Nursing’s Web site at SON.Rochester.edu

Natalie Wedge, of Le Roy, and Crystal Fial, of Darien, were second-year nursing students. They finished their degree this spring by doing their required Nursing Preceptorship in Australia at Princess Alexandra Hospital. It is a "magnet" hospital that provides a high level of health care service similar to Strong Memorial Hospital. GCC Nursing instructor Deborah Carrasquillo, RN, MS, also took part in the exchange program.

Both graduates landed positions at Rochester-based hospitals upon their graduation. Wedge took a nursing position at Rochester General on the "4800 floor" and Fial will be working at Strong Memorial Hospital in an orthopedic unit.

"I was pleasantly surprised that there really was no difference in bedside manner," Wedge said. "And I really enjoyed working in 'pods' with other nurses. The 'pods' were made up of three nurses who communicated during the shift as they took care of three to eight patients."

Carrasquillo acted as the U.S. nurse educator and program liaison. This was her first time traveling to a foreign country beyond Canada and she said she was "very empowered" by the entire experience.

"Overall, I found myself in a leadership and mentoring role," Carrasquillo said. "I not only could lead and mentor Natalie and Crystal but I also worked with Southbank staff to show them how we structured our programming back in the U.S."

Wedge and Fial worked at the hospital Monday through Thursday and also completed course work equivalent to two independent study courses. Wedge worked on a medical/surgical floor with dementia and end-of-life rooms, while Fial worked in a unit that was dedicated to patients with needing eye care.

In their scarce spare time, they experienced the city of Brisbane and the surrounding areas throughout the state of Queensland. They enjoyed trips to the Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's zoo), Tambourine Mountain, the beaches of the Gold Coast and participated in Anzac Day activities on April 25, the equivalent to the United States' Memorial Day.

"It was just an amazing experience," Wedge said. "We enjoyed the people and the Notcountry and the Australian people were very welcoming."

Not only the exchange participants learn about Aussies and vice-versa, they said it made them stronger and more independent. Plus, they learned something about their chosen profession.

"Nursing is not the same everywhere you go," Wedge said. "It was so beneficial to see the differences. When I left home I was a student, but when I returned home I truly felt like a nurse."

Home Care of Rochester, HCR, received what's known as a "certificate of need" from the State Department of Health, which is required for it to provide both long-term and short-term home nursing for Genesee County patients.

Since March of 2009, when HCR acquired the program from the county for $1.5 million, HCR has been operating in Genesee County under the county's certificate of need.

With the purchase, HCR replaces the county-owned program. HCR will now handle all acute, longer-term, therapy and home health-aide services for patients receiving insurance coverage via Medicare or Medicaid.

HCR also provides care through private insurance.

This is the first academic year that two nursing classes will be graduating from Genesee, one in December 2009 and the second in May 2010.

More than 20 local and regional health care companies will be available to answer questions, accept resumes and distribute material relating to their company's nursing employment and continued educational opportunities.

Job seeking participants are encouraged to come dressed to impress with resumes in hand. This year's participants include:

Adecco Medical & Science
Catholic Health System
Eastern Niagara Hospital
Erie County Home
Erie County Medical Center Corp. - SNF
Finger Lakes DDSO
Genesee County Nursing Home
Kaleida Health, Buffalo General Hospital Lifetime Care
Medical Staffing Network, Inc.
Med-Scribe, Inc.
NYS Office of Mental Health
Roberts Wesleyan College
Samaritan Medical Center
Sibley Nursing Personnel Services
Strong Memorial Hospital
The College at Brockport (SUNY)
The Village of Orleans
Thompson Health
United Memorial Medical Center University of Rochester School of Nursing
V.A. WNY Healthcare System
WNY Rural Area Health Education Center
Wyoming County Community Health System

Nursing is an area in which jobs are currently growing, unlike other areas of the workforce. On March 6, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the healthcare sector is continuing to grow, despite steep job losses in nearly all major industries. Hospitals, long-term care facilities and other ambulatory care establishments added 27,000 new jobs in February 2009, a month when 681,000 jobs were eliminated nationwide.

"The fall job fair is an opportune time for our December graduates," said Kathy Palumbo, R.N., director of nursing at Genesee. "This is often a desirable group of graduates because hospitals and other institutions may need to fill positions in the spring and most programs graduate in May or June only."

The job fair is free and open to the public. For a full list of participants, directions and additional details, please visit www.genesee.edu/ctc <http://www.genesee.edu/ctc>  or contact John McGowan at 585-343-0055 ext. 6383.