Working Here: Need for nurses growing

• Jason Kowalski provides comfort at life%27s most critical moments for Visiting Nurse Service.
• The number of openings and total number of jobs are expected to grow in the Rochester area for licensed practical nurses.

Not everyone facing a terminal illness is cared for in a hospital.

Some get a visit by a nurse making house calls to help with medications, coordinate services, answer questions for worried family members and more.

When Jason Kowalski visits patients, they are often facing a grave diagnosis.

"I think people trust you more when there is that one-on-one," said the 41-year-old licensed practical nurse with Visiting Nurse Service. "You are in their home and people tend to open up more, which is nice. It is pretty shocking how you get to go into some place and they don't know you at all, then all of a sudden they absolutely trust you. I've made a lot of really good connections."

There are more than 4,500 licensed practical nurses in the Finger Lakes region, a number expected to increase by nearly 5.8 percent during the next four years, according to industry information compiled by Monroe Community College.

Median hourly wages for LPNs are $18.09 an hour or about $38,000 a year. Openings are expected to increase as more approach retirement, 26 percent of all LPNs are currently 55 or older.

These nurses often provide care under the direction of a registered nurse, a physician or other health care provider. In New York, they must complete an approved program of at least nine months or two semesters, according to the state.

Kowalski, a city resident, graduated from the Marion S. Whelan School of Practical Nursing in Geneva and has been with Visiting Nurse Service for about seven years. He works with patients who have been diagnosed with dementia, cancer, Parkinson's or other end-stage illnesses.

"I haven't looked for a job in a while," he said. "I don't plan on leaving."

We caught up with Kowalski to learn more about his career during a visit with Fred Kukura, a 90-year-old Penfield resident who served in the military during World War II and worked for Rochester Gas & Electric for about 40 years.

Why this career? I was working at Hess in high school and there was an ad in the paper, they made more so I became a home health aid and did that. I was a patient care tech helping people with their daily activities when someone thought I should be a nurse, so I went for it.

How's your work-life balance? I'm struggling just like everybody else. I work hard. I work a lot of hours, more than most people. I work two days shifts and three nights, about 70 hours. The night shift is on call. I do get to sleep sometimes (he says laughing). It's a total perk. It does pay well.

Is it a hard job? I am a hospice nurse. Yes. Everybody that I have dies. It's a little challenging at times, I'd have to say. I feel honored to be there at that point in time for people.

What's the daily grind like? I do a lot of nights. If I were on during the day, I (would) see a set number of people, usually between 5 and 6, or 7 maybe. I go to their house and help them with whatever they need. I figure out what their needs are going to be, because they are declining, and try to help them and their family, and keep them home.

What about those late-night calls? I don't mind going. Sometimes you are like, "I can't believe I'm getting called for this," but you get there and people are so nice. You think, "I am so glad that I got to meet them." It always works out for me.

And helping a patient's family? Sometimes you run into families who aren't handling things as well as they could. They are unsure what to do. They're afraid because that are not nurses. It's scary. You try to talk to them and say you need to step it up and be there a little more because they are not able to help themselves.

How do you remain upbeat? You got to kind of keep it together. Sometimes I just cry after. You got to sometimes set limits, especially when you are one-on-one with people.

TCLAUSEN@DemocratandChronicle.com

Job openings

There are 4,552 licensed practical nurses employed in the Rochester area, according to Monroe Community College's Career Coach. Entry-level workers make about $30,000 a year, with the highest wage earners taking home about $47,000. For more on the career, along with other related job information, go to bit.ly/1QfRjef.