Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Washington Saratoga Warren Hamilton Essex BOCES-Practical Nursing Program

This BOCES program starts graduates at nearly $46,000—slightly above both the national and New York medians for practical nursing programs—but then earnings drop 15% by year four. That backward trajectory is the critical concern here. While top-performing New York programs like Transitions Career Institute place graduates earning $66,000, this program's four-year earnings of just $39,000 fall well below what you'd expect for licensed practical nurses in the state.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $16,668, it's manageable relative to first-year earnings (36% ratio), and graduates can theoretically pay it off within a year or two of disciplined budgeting. The program serves a predominantly low-income student body (83% receive Pell grants) and maintains open admissions, which explains both the accessibility and perhaps the variable outcomes. The moderate sample size suggests these numbers are reasonably reliable, though individual results clearly vary.

The fundamental question is whether your child can sustain or improve upon that initial $46,000 salary. If the earnings decline reflects graduates shifting to part-time work or leaving nursing altogether, that's a red flag. If it's a data quirk, the debt load remains reasonable enough. Before committing, investigate job placement specifics and whether graduates maintain full-time nursing employment—the difference between starting strong and staying strong determines whether this represents good value or just a temporary boost.