"Let this be a stepping stone toward a brighter future."
—Carmen Charles, President, Local 420

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

June is traditionally the month for graduations, when students mark the completion of rigorous studies and eagerly look ahead to new challenges.

On June 28 at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, 25 new graduates of the Patient Care Associate program celebrated this significant milestone together with their families, Local 420 leaders and staff of the hospital and the DC 37 Education Fund.

Ten days later, on July 9 at Bellevue Hospital, 94 Patient Care Technicians graduated from the training course for this entry-level title. "You are my first graduating class," said Carmen Charles, the newly elected president of Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420. "Let this be a stepping stone to a brighter future," she told the PCTs.

The PCA program is open to Nurses Aides, Nurses Aides Transport and Health and Hospitals Corp. personnel with one year of employment in an HHC facility and a supervisor's recommen-dation. The PCT program is also open to Nurses Aides and Nurses Aides Transport with one year of employment in an HHC facility and a supervisor's recommendation.

The HHC created the PCA position in 1995 as a competitive title, but the union fought to reclassify it as non-competitive. With the aid of the DC 37 Research Dept., the title's status was finally switched on June 7. "This will strengthen job security for these members," said Ms. Charles.

Barbara Kairson, administrator of DC 37's Education Fund, congratulated the new PCA grads and encouraged them to continue climbing the career ladder. "We certainly hope this is not the end of your learning experience. Continue to learn so that you may serve," said Ms. Kairson, who attended the ceremony with Johnnie Locus, assistant director of the DC 37 Hospitals Division and Helen Chappell, assistant director of the Education Fund.

Hospitals Division Director Pat Brooks addressed the new graduates at the Bellevue ceremony. "Serving patients is a crucial job," she said. "But I know you will treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve."

"We're going to continue the tradition of quality care here at Kings County Hospital," said PCA graduate Eileen Campbell, who received an award for academic excellence.