Do you have a graduation AND a pinning?

medchick · Nov 25, 2007

We had both a pinning and graduation ceremony. Both were mandatory to attend. Pinning was mandated by the Dean of Nursing and graduation by the president of the university. It was my second degree but my family never got to see me walk the first time since I was in South Korea then.

nurz2be · Nov 25, 2007

Actually with our school, we do both BUT the school does NOT pay for the pinning ceremony. We do several funds raisers throughout our time in the program and WE the nursing students pay for our own pinning. The school at one time was paying for the service but it was completely LAME-O. SO, a few years ago the nursing students started their own pinning ceremony. Starts off with a formal dining experience, while a slide-show is playing (via a PowerPoint) of us students at various stages in the program in class, in clinicals, at the testing site, study groups, Sleeping in class (some embarrassing moments) and so on. The class President and the honors student give a few minute speech. A local doctor normally comes and gives us the "Importance of nurses" speech. Our instructors have some words of wisdom in parting. Family and friends then get to see our pinning ceremony, which is basically a right of passage. The group recites the nurses prayer and oath, toss the caps, retrieve the caps, and then we call it a night. This is like a 2 hour program. It has previously been decorated, I got the privilege to assist decorating the last classes ceremony and it was EXQUISITE. I CAN"T WAIT for my turn to be pinned!!!!!

PsychNurseWannaBe, BSN, RN · Nov 26, 2007

We have both as well. I plan on going to the graduation but not the pinning. It would turn into a 4 - 5 hour ordeal... way to long.

allnurses Guide · Nov 26, 2007

Just a historical note -- pinning ceremonies date from when nursing schools were free-standing, hospital-based institutions, and the pinning ceremony was the graduation ceremony. Now that most schools of nursing are part of colleges or universities, it's hard to figure the logic for having what amounts to two graduation ceremonies (the general commencement ceremony, and a separate, private nursing ceremony). Also, more and more schools are balking at paying for a separate private ceremony for the nursing students (but not for graduates of any of the other departments of the college or university) -- and you can see that is basically unfair -- which is why more and more schools that do still have pinnings require the students to pay for the ceremony themselves.
Although I am as big a fan as anyone of the wonderful traditions and history of nursing, I'm afraid that, if we are going to have nursing programs be departments of colleges and universities, then it's (past) time to suck it up and abandon pinning ceremonies. The ceremonies seem to be completely out of control now anyway, with students being allowed to plan whatever they want for the ceremony, pick their own pins (instead of the official school pin, which is the original point of the ceremony -- but lots of newer schools of nursing don't even have an official cap or an official pin), wear what they want, pick family members to pin them, etc. The ceremonies no longer serve the purpose they were intended to serve (that's been taken over by commencement), and are, in many cases, unrecognizable as pinning ceremonies, so, why bother??

This is exactly what the dean of nursing at my school said. But she also added that it would be unprofessional and we may not get hired at local hospitals.

I did some research - called the local hospitals, called the BON, etc. Took the info back to the students and to the teachers and dean. Not one example of anyone saying it was unprofessional and that it would impact hiring.

What bothered the students I graduated with was that we graduated with the entire university and we not allowed to differentiate ourselves as nurses (although we did end up writing RN on our caps).

You make good points - no other school on campus differentiated themselves and we were part of the school.

But most of the students wanted a pinning and so we planned it ourselves, paid for it ourselves, off campus. We rented an Elks Lodge right on the river. Invited the teachers (although the Dean threatened them about coming).

It was a nice party.

steph

midcom · Nov 26, 2007

I posted earlier about my school having both ceremonies but other answers made me remember something from my first college graduation. Way back before dirt (1970) I went to a community college for dental assisting. For graduation, the nurses & dental assistants wore nursing uniforms & our caps (yes, dental assistants wore them too) instead of gowns. This differentiated us from the other graduates. It was nice seeing those white dresses amongst the black graduation gowns.

Dixie

elkpark · Nov 26, 2007

This is exactly what the dean of nursing at my school said. But she also added that it would be unprofessional and we may not get hired at local hospitals.
I did some research - called the local hospitals, called the BON, etc. Took the info back to the students and to the teachers and dean. Not one example of anyone saying it was unprofessional and that it would impact hiring.
What bothered the students I graduated with was that we graduated with the entire university and we not allowed to differentiate ourselves as nurses (although we did end up writing RN on our caps).
You make good points - no other school on campus differentiated themselves and we were part of the school.
But most of the students wanted a pinning and so we planned it ourselves, paid for it ourselves, off campus. We rented an Elks Lodge right on the river. Invited the teachers (although the Dean threatened them about coming).
It was a nice party.
steph

Well, it's nice that you all had a nice party, which the group had certainly earned. As far as I'm concerned, every graduating class of nursing students in the country can and should throw themselves a great party for graduation, but don't call it a pinning ceremony -- just call it a party. If the students do it themselves, it's not a "real" pinning ceremony any more than if you (the students) planned and carried out your own commencement ceremony (which (I hope) no one would ever think of doing, but the logic is exactly the same and it makes exactly as much sense ...)

And why should nursing students be differentiated from any of the other graduates at commencement? What's special about nursing, other than that we think it's special? I'm sure that all the math majors think that their group is v. special and important, and the social work majors, and the Spanish majors, and (etc., etc.) :) At the commencement ceremonies at the schools at which I've taught, the graduates have received their diplomas in groups by majors, announced over the PA system, so everyone in the audience was aware (if they were paying attention) of which group walking across the stage was the nursing students, and how much more recognition/differentiation do we need? We can't have it both ways -- now that most nursing schools are departments of colleges and universities, nursing students in those programs are no different from any other undergraduate student in the institution. What is the justification for special treatment??

Nursing has had no difficulty or hesitation in shedding every other last shred of nursing tradition and/or history in the last couple decades (see any thread on this board about caps, white uniforms, tradition, nursing as a "calling," etc.), so I have trouble understanding why so many people are clinging to the pretense of a pinning ceremony now that it is simply a sentimental redundancy.

(Please note I'm speaking very generally and not picking on you specifically :), because I'm aware that what you describe is very common -- as witnessed by several of the posts on this thread!)

allnurses Guide · Nov 26, 2007

Well, it's nice that you all had a nice party, which the group had certainly earned. As far as I'm concerned, every graduating class of nursing students in the country can and should throw themselves a great party for graduation, but don't call it a pinning ceremony -- just call it a party. If the students do it themselves, it's not a "real" pinning ceremony any more than if you (the students) planned and carried out your own commencement ceremony (which (I hope) no one would ever think of doing, but the logic is exactly the same and it makes exactly as much sense ...)
And why should nursing students be differentiated from any of the other graduates at commencement? What's special about nursing, other than that we think it's special? I'm sure that all the math majors think that their group is v. special and important, and the social work majors, and the Spanish majors, and (etc., etc.) :) At the commencement ceremonies at the schools at which I've taught, the graduates have received their diplomas in groups by majors, announced over the PA system, so everyone in the audience was aware (if they were paying attention) of which group walking across the stage was the nursing students, and how much more recognition/differentiation do we need? We can't have it both ways -- now that most nursing schools are departments of colleges and universities, nursing students in those programs are no different from any other undergraduate student in the institution. What is the justification for special treatment??
Nursing has had no difficulty or hesitation in shedding every other last shred of nursing tradition and/or history in the last couple decades (see any thread on this board about caps, white uniforms, tradition, nursing as a "calling," etc.), so I have trouble understanding why so many people are clinging to the pretense of a pinning ceremony now that it is simply a sentimental redundancy.
(Please note I'm speaking very generally and not picking on you specifically :), because I'm aware that what you describe is very common -- as witnessed by several of the posts on this thread!)

Oh my gosh . . .were you the dean of my school? Because if you were, you are also going to be a teacher in my RN-BSN program and I don't want to p i z z you off. ;)

You make very good points - I especially see it now that I've been a nurse for a while. :nurse:

steph

SoulShine75 · Nov 27, 2007

We have both and I think I'll attend both because I won't be going back to school for a looooooooooong time.

RN4Nascar · Nov 27, 2007

We also had both, I didnt go to graduation. But I went to pinning, that meant more to me. I went later to pick up my diploma. Our pinning ceremony was soo awesome. Ill cherish that night forever. :)

jackson145 · Nov 28, 2007

Everyone in my family just had their diploma mailed to them. I doubt if I'd do either graduation or pinning. Ceremonies really make me uncomfortable. I hated the whole wedding thing and I wanted to skip my HS graduation. I figure, if I put in all the hard work/time/effort, I shouldn't have to do something I'm uncomfortable with. My reward will be getting a good job somewhere so I can do things for my kids again!

elkpark · Nov 28, 2007

Oh my gosh . . .were you the dean of my school? Because if you were, you are also going to be a teacher in my RN-BSN program and I don't want to p i z z you off. ;)
You make very good points - I especially see it now that I've been a nurse for a while.
steph

Don't worry -- I'm not your dean. LOL :balloons:

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2007

I believe we have pinning and graduation at the same time (from what I've heard from previous students). We are a private tech school.

I plan on attending but from what I hear, the majority of our class won't attend. I worked too long and too hard NOT to be recognized, my family and friends have sacrificed to allow me the opportunity to go through school and I want them to be able to see what their sacrifices have allowed me to do.