PEP, September 2004: Perseverance pays off for health care providers

Graduation day gives students a chance to bask in the applause of family and friends for a job well done. It’s also a time to reflect on the hard work that goes into winning a diploma. Students in the Allied Health Program sponsored by the DC 37 Education Fund got this opportunity at three recent graduation ceremonies.

On May 14, 24 students at Kings County Hospital graduated from the Patient Care Associate program. At Bellevue Hospital, 44 students in the Psychiatric Social Health Technician program graduated June 25. A joint ceremony held July 9 at DC 37 honored students from Bellevue and Gouverneur hospitals. Seven of them graduated from the Operating Room Technicians program and 34 from the Patient Care Associate program.

His family and fiancée accompanied Fred Wilday III to the graduation ceremony for the Operating Room Technician program. A member of Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420, he has worked at Bellevue for 12 years. “School was hard for me at first,” he admitted. “But slowly, my academic and study skills came back. I made the time to study. I put my social life aside,” he said.

Local 420 President Carmen Charles addressed the joint ceremony for the ORTs and PCAs. She commended the students and their families as well as the Health and Hospitals Corp. for believing in the members and helping them climb the career ladder. “Today is a very special day,” she said. “Let this be the stepping stone to your future. Education is the key that unlocks the future.”

Bernadette Turner, director of Nursing at Gouverneur, congratulated the grads on a job well done. “It takes a lot of courage and thought to go for a career change if you’ve worked in another capacity for years,” she said.

DC 37 Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson noted that, “The Education Fund is 31 years old this year. District Council 37 has a strong commitment to education and training. And because of this, our union members have a tremendous opportunity to advance.”

— Jane LaTour