The day Skylar Slater came to BOCES to take her TEAS Exam for entry into the Adult Practical Nursing (PN) program was one filled with many emotions. The same morning of the exam, Skylar’s grandfather passed away following an illness.
“He was a huge inspiration for me doing what I’m doing now,” says Skylar.
Skylar took care of him when he was sick, which happened shortly after she applied to the BOCES PN program. She passed her exam that day and continued on to her eventual goal of becoming a Registered Nurse (RN).
“I’ve always been interested in health care,” she says. “Taking care of my grandfather solidified my desire to work in that field. BOCES has been a big part of that journey.”
Skylar is no stranger to BOCES. Her education in health care began as a high school junior, enrolling in the Medical Careers program, which gives students an overview of the different career options available within the medical field. Her senior year, she enrolled in the Medical Assisting program, learning key skills that would lead to her first job after school.
“I learned all about vital signs, what an EKG is, how to build rapport with patients, and medical terminology,” says Skylar. “The relationship with patients was a key element for me. Before BOCES, I was never good with communicating with strangers, but communication is a key skill in health care that you need in order to be successful.”
Her former teachers knew good things were on the horizon for Skylar.
“She took full advantage of the programs here at BOCES,” said Mrs. Danielle Denney, who taught Skylar in the Medical Careers program. “I watched her confidence grow as she realized she had found her passion in the health care field. She has a strong commitment to her education and to helping others and will no doubt be very successful in the LPN program.”
Skylar with BOCES CTE Instructors Mrs. Danielle Denney (left) and Mrs. Linda Chester (right)
The skills learned at BOCES helped Skylar achieve her first job opportunity at Samaritan Family Health. After graduating General Brown Central School in 2021, she worked as a full time Medical Assistant, putting plans to attend Jefferson Community College to become an RN on hold. It was Mrs. Chester, her former Medical Assisting Instructor, who told Skylar about the BOCES Adult Practical Nursing program. She applied and now spends her days attending BOCES and early evenings working at Samaritan’s ER Patient Registration.
“I didn’t realize I could come back to BOCES so quickly after having attended classes there in high school,” said Skylar. “I know there is lots of hard work ahead of me, but in the long run I can transfer my credits over and become an RN.”
She credits much of her success thus far goes to BOCES and is enjoying her time in the Practical Nursing program, another step in many on her career journey.
“BOCES has always been a friendly environment. The teachers, your classmates, you can talk to them. The overall experience has been great.”