While many students are barely beginning their new school year, California Baptist University’s School of Nursing held the historic pinning ceremony Sept. 12 for its recent nursing graduates.
A formal event was held for the nursing graduates in the Innovator’s Auditorium located in the new Business Building. During the ceremony, each graduate received a pin and a white rose signifying his or her degree as a registered nurse. Spouses and parents were asked to stand in recognition of their support for the graduates.
The main focus of the pinning ceremony was the 19 Entry-Level Master of Nursing students, but the ceremony also included two BSN graduates from the class of fall 2012, eight RN-BSN graduates from the class of summer 2012, and a dedication for 25 EL MSN students from the class of summer 2013.
With the graduated class sitting just feet away, the incoming class dedicated their education to one day returning to the ceremony as official nurses. The new students received a pocket-size Bible to use in practice and a prayer for dedicating their life to serving.
“The pinning ceremony for any nursing graduate is an historic event, (and) any graduate should be honored to be a nurse,” said Dayna Herrera, assistant professor of nursing. The pinning of the graduates is a tradition in the nursing discipline that acknowledges the university or place of education.
“Nurses wear their pins with pride, honoring their school and their profession,” said Dr. Susan Drummond, associate dean of the School of Nursing.
Herrera said, “Due to the competitiveness of CBU’s nursing program, the grade requirements and GPA average go up every year, along with the grueling academic load they must take on once accepted.”
Tanisha Franklin, EL MSN graduate, said that “the hardest part of the program is literally pulling yourself out of the world and engulfing yourself into the world of nursing. All you have is yourself, your professors and your classmates.”
After the pinning ceremony, the EL MSN students go on to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses. They must pass the test in order to be officially classified as RNs before returning back to their books for another two years to obtain their MSN degree.
Once in the MSN program, nursing students can choose from four concentration areas: administration, nursing education, clinical nurse specialists or family nurse practitioner.
In reference to the nursing program, Drummond stated that “CBU’s nursing program is one of the top-rated for private universities; a rigorous and competitive program to get accepted into.”
Franklin said she chose CBU because “it just felt right with orientation and it’s not just about becoming a nurse — I became closer to God, developed as a Christian and I am able to give back and serve.”
The pinning ceremony represented the beginning of a new stage of life for some graduates.
“Dr. Prins was wonderful, just absolutely encapsulated CBU with science and religion,” said Emily Rosati, an EL MSN graduate. “(The ceremony) signifies moving on from learning and now going into the real world.”
Because of the academic load placed on the nursing students, the 15 months leading up to the pinning ceremony can seem impossible to some students.
“Having the faith you can do it is the hardest part, that you weren’t brought here to fail but to succeed,” Rosati said. “The best part was the group I was with; we always worked together as a team and were there for one another.”
A slideshow presentation was shown, encompassing each nursing student and highlighting his or her experiences from the program.
Together, the graduates recited The Nightingale Pledge, an oath they make to serve with the highest of their standards and practices of their profession.
