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Kathy Steffen, LPN
CA BOCES Practical Nursing Graduate
Private Duty Nurse
State of Ohio Department of Medicaid

I am proud to say that I am a 1976 graduate of the CA BOCES CTE Center at Olean Practical Nursing program. After 44 years of practicing my profession, I can honestly say I have done it all! My first job at St. Elizabeth’s Motherhouse as a staff nurse, to working nursing homes all over the west side of Cleveland, Ohio, a physician’s office, two hospitals, and now as a private duty nurse for the State of Ohio Department of Medicaid — my duties have not been boring. After CA BOCES, my education continued. I earned a diploma in 1989 for Medical Secretarial from Olean Business Institute. I became an advocate for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Relay for Life after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2003 and have spoken of my cancer journey at both events. I recently semi-retired, but for the past ten years, my job has been caring for one client with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. The education I received at CA BOCES gave me a solid start on a lifetime career that has been rewarding and filled with compassion. Advice I would give to anyone considering a career in nursing, is to go to CA BOCES, get your LPN, and never stop learning.