Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Orleans Niagara BOCES-Practical Nursing Program

The earnings trajectory here demands immediate attention: Orleans Niagara BOCES graduates earn $46,000 in their first year—slightly above both state and national medians—but see their income plummet to $29,380 by year four. That's a 36% decline, which raises serious questions about whether graduates are maintaining full-time nursing employment or facing regional labor market constraints. While the initial debt load of $14,456 looks manageable against first-year earnings (a comfortable 0.31 ratio), the sharp income drop means graduates may struggle with payments if this pattern continues.

Among New York's 49 practical nursing programs, this ranks solidly middle-of-the-pack at the 60th percentile for earnings, but several comparable programs in the state maintain steady or growing incomes rather than declining ones. LaGuardia Community College graduates, for instance, earn $56,000 initially with better long-term prospects. The moderate sample size (30-100 graduates) suggests these numbers are reasonably reliable, and with 58% of students on Pell grants, many families here are counting on stable nursing income.

The value proposition hinges entirely on what's driving that year-four decline. If graduates are transitioning to part-time work by choice or upgrading to RN programs, this could be a reasonable stepping stone. But if the drop reflects difficulty maintaining employment, parents should explore programs with more stable earnings trajectories, even if they cost slightly more upfront.