Edison State nursing students honored with pinning ceremony

Jean Heath holds up a photograph of herself from
when she graduated from Edison State.

Edison State Community College honored its most recent nursing graduates on Thursday, December 15, with a pinning ceremony held in a gymnasium filled with family and friends at the Piqua campus.

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, and the graduate is usually “pinned” by the faculty members who have worked with the students throughout their course of study. Each school has a unique pin, which serves as a symbol of the successful completion of a rigorous curriculum, which prepares its graduates to administer to the sick and injured and promote health through the practice of nursing.

Marvella Fletcher, Edison State Board of Trustee member, provided opening remarks praising the work of the nursing students and those who have supported them along the way.

Jean Heath, MA, BSN, RN, OCN, a nursing professional and alumna of Edison State, served as the ceremony’s guest speaker. Heath reflected upon her time as a student and how the education she received helped catapult her career in nursing.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that the foundation and the education that I got in this building, from these teachers, and this program gave me inner strength and self-confidence,” said Heath. “It also gave me the skills needed to perform my job.”

Heath went on to offer words of advice. “My advice to all of you is to find your path. Your leadership skills and the skills that you learn along the way will get better but what I want you never to forget is where you came from and where you started, because I never did,” added Heath.

Each of the twenty-five graduates had the opportunity to submit a word of thanks to those who have supported their education, which was read as they received their pin from an Edison State nursing faculty member. Many used the opportunity to share individual stories of sacrifice and triumphing over adversity, the bonds that were formed between classmates and the deep appreciation held for the Edison State nursing faculty.

Graduates of the program will move on to the next phase of their career, which involves taking the registered nurse licensing exam and seeking employment.

Edison State Community College’s nursing program has maintained full accreditation and approval throughout its history. In 2013, Edison State’s Associate of Nursing Degree program was granted a full five-year approval by the Ohio Board of Nursing. In 2011, the program earned an eight-year accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, the highest level a program can receive.

Applications for Edison State’s Registered Nursing program are currently being accepted for Fall 2017 semester. For more information about the program, visit www.edisonohio.edu/programs.

Nursing Graduates:

Anna: Nicole Terwilliger; Bradford: Haley Canan; Celina: Moriah Plattner; Chickesaw: Elizabeth Fortkamp; Covington: Christopher Green; Fort Recovery: Marissa Thobe; Greenville: Denah Angles, Jessica Hall, Justina Martin; Lewisburg: Rachael Elam; Maplewood: Kylie Keener; New Carlisle: Rose Minutolo; Piqua: Taylor Bryant, Nicole Engley, Cher Grunkemeyer, Hillary Yutzy; Pleasant Hill: Allison Merritt; Sidney: Kaitlyn Kerrigan, Deborah Parker; St. Marys: Amanda Dysert; Troy: Shannon Brunson, Michaela Humphrey; Union: Sarah Groh; Versailles: Diana Sanati; West Milton: Debra Cook.