Edison State Community College honored 25 recent nursing graduates on May 11, 2022, with a pinning ceremony held in a gymnasium filled with family and friends. Today’s nurses continue to face unprecedented challenges, making the ceremony even more special for the students who have chosen to enter the career field.
The pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition in which the graduate nurse is presented to family and friends as a professional who is about to practice nursing. The graduate is usually pinned by the faculty members who have worked with them throughout their studies. Each school has a unique pin, which serves as a symbol of the successful completion of a rigorous curriculum that prepares graduates to administer to the sick and injured and promote health through the practice of nursing.
“The nursing program at Edison State is one of the hallmark programs of our college,” said Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson. “When I’m out in the community, I often run into colleagues and community members who have interacted with our nursing graduates and our faculty, and they always have nothing but stellar compliments to say about our nursing graduates, faculty, and program.”
“It’s a very demanding program, and when our nursing graduates go out into their jobs, they’re put directly on the line,” Dr. Larson continued. “There’s no learning curve—they’re expected to perform, and they do. We are very proud of our graduates.”
The ceremony included a speech from guest speaker Trish Wackler, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Upper Valley Medical Center-Premier Health. She has spent most of her 30-plus years in nursing with Premier Health.
Wackler encouraged graduates to think about the impact they can make in their jobs. “These are the small things we do every day. Things like holding someone’s hand, offering an encouraging word, or reexplaining things.”
She went on to urge graduates to try different things within the field. “I want to challenge you to contribute to the future. There’s so much to do in health care, and we can always do better for our patients.”
Class representative Olivia Wright also provided remarks.
“We finally made it,” said Wright. “It’s such a surreal feeling to finally be graduating from nursing school, and soon all of us will get the pleasure of having a couple more letters behind our name.”
“While we were starting our journey in nursing together, we were also going through a global pandemic. Each and every one of us has worked so hard the past few years, and nothing has taken away our determination. We are ready for the chaos of nursing.”
Following the successful completion of the nursing program, graduates will prepare to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become Registered Nurses (RNs).
Edison State’s nursing program has maintained full accreditation and approval throughout its history. In 2018, the Ohio Board of Nursing granted Edison State’s Associate of Nursing degree program a full five-year approval. In 2019, the program earned an eight-year continued accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the highest level a program can receive.
Applications for Edison State’s Registered Nursing program are currently being accepted for the spring 2023 semester. For more information about the program, visit www.edisonohio.edu/programs.
Edison State is proud to recognize the following nursing graduates:
Nathaniel Alspaugh, Tipp City
Faith Apple, Russia
Madison Bakosh, Springboro
Alyssa Byers, St. Paris
Meagan Caudill, Troy
Kaela Davis, West Milton
Kaelyn Gilbert, Greenville
Alexandra Hendrickson, Lewisburg
Rayna Higgins, Kettering
Jane Johnson, Casstown
Olivia Love, Tipp City
Brittani Luker, Xenia
Erianna Macklin, West Alexandria
Jena Mangen, Versailles
Alexis Monnin, Russia
Nicole Murphy, Troy
Alysha Oda, Lewisburg
Haille Pitcock, Lewisburg
Tia Prince, Cincinnati
Kayley Ruschau, Versailles
Sarah Santon, Bradford
Hanna Shafer, Covington
Maggie Wilcoxon, Bellefontaine
Lacey Wooten, Arcanum
Olivia Wright, Greenville
Photo: Guest speaker Trish Wackler addresses recent nursing graduates during a pinning ceremony held in their honor.