Orange-Ulster BOCES Opens Enrollment for 2026-2027 Practical Nursing Program

Orange County made its nursing workforce gap concrete in February, when County Executive Steve Neuhaus convened a dedicated LPN and RN job fair at Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation in Goshen, with local health systems offering on-the-spot interviews and same-day job offers. Orange-Ulster BOCES opened enrollment for its 2026-2027 Practical Nursing program on April 1, offering a direct pipeline into those positions.

The program runs 10 months and costs $16,127 for students who complete it within normal time. It covers 1,104 hours of instruction across 12 courses, follows New York State-approved curriculum, and prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN licensing exam, the standard licensure test for practical nurses statewide. Financial aid is available for eligible applicants.

Clinical rotations run throughout the program in both inpatient and outpatient settings, connecting students to the hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, physicians' offices, and home health agencies that make up Orange County's healthcare employer base. Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall, which operates campuses in Newburgh and Cornwall, is among the regional health systems actively posting LPN openings in the Hudson Valley.

Valley View's job fair at 2 Glenmere Cove Road in Goshen, where Neuhaus' office convened hiring teams just eight weeks ago, illustrated how urgently local long-term care facilities are competing for trained nursing staff. That same employer sits roughly two miles from OUB's Amy Bull Crist Campus, where the program is administered.

Graduates who want to advance beyond the LPN credential have a structured option at SUNY Orange, which accepts OUB practical nursing completers for advanced standing into its registered nursing program, creating a bridge from the 10-month certificate to full RN licensure.

OUB serves component school districts across Orange and Dutchess counties. Prospective students can review prerequisites, application deadlines, and financial aid options through OUB's adult education office.