Your school's graduation ceremony?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Nephrology.

Hey everyone :D

I'm a 2nd semester nursing student but I have many friends who will be graduating this semester. I was talking with them today and they said the school doesn't have anything to do with their graduation. They are having to put together their own pinning ceremony and gather their own money for any kind of reception. Does this seem odd to anyone or is this the norm? They don't get to walk across stage unless they want to come back in May to do so. Are all school as unsupportive of their graduating nursing students? This just really struck me as odd. Paying for my own ceremony would be a little strange.....Luckily a University up the road donated a hall for them to use for the pinning at no charge. Thanks for any input.

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Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.

I don't know about pinning ceremonies, but yes, many schools only have a formal graduation ceremony only once per year due to budget constraints, and not after each semester.

I graduated in December and had to come back for May festivities as well.

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Specializes in Nephrology.

I just always thought nursing was in and of itself and would have its own graduation. I'm learning something new everyday!

I just think it's so weird that they have to coordinate the whole pinning ceremony like finding a keynote speaker, finding a hall to have the ceremony in, and even hiring maid service to clean up afterward. It's only the students doing all of this without any financial support from the school or the program.

Thank you for your input!!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

The school I attended provides an old church as the setting for the graduation ceremonies; however, it is the responsibility of the students to pay for caps, gowns, pins, balloons, and any other items associated with graduation.

I did not attend the ceremony and have no regrets. I feel that our tuition money should have covered the cost of a basic graduation ceremony. There is no way I would pay for something of this nature out of my own pocket when the school is receiving over $1 million yearly from the nursing program.

This is just my $0.02 on the issue. :twocents:

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Specializes in Nephrology.

WOW! Well it's good to find this out now so I don't get too excited about the pinning ceremony. I don't think I will attend mine either if this is the case! That is unreal. I never even knew all of this. Thank you very much for responding!

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I am only a freshman nursing major, but I have heard a lot about our pinning ceremony. The Student Nurses Assoc. of my school puts together the whole thing. This includes the teachers and the students who run it.

I think it most colleges, the "traditional" thing is to graduate in May. If you think about it, you do a fall semester, then a spring semester, times 4, so it is May that a lot of people graduate. That is atleast how it is at my school, although I do know of some students who are graduating next year in December. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, because it is unfortunate that these students don't get a ceremony after they graduate.

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

Yeah, but I find it weird that the school wouldn't let them use something on campus. We have to buy our own dress uniforms for graduation, but I'm going to worry about that when it's time. Otherwise, I'll hit my parents up if they really want the ceremony!!

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Our school has a regular graduation for everyone, but we nurses also have a pinning ceremony that we have to set up and pay for ourselves. A lot of the nurses don't attend graduation, but everyone I know is really excited about pinning. We have the ceremony in a church because it is large enough to hold all of the guests we want to invite. We have to pay for our own reception if we want one, which we do. The school is only interested in our graduation, just like it is for every other program. Pinning is a "nursing thing" that is just for us.

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Our school has a regular graduation for everyone, but we nurses also have a pinning ceremony that we have to set up and pay for ourselves. A lot of the nurses don't attend graduation, but everyone I know is really excited about pinning. We have the ceremony in a church because it is large enough to hold all of the guests we want to invite. We have to pay for our own reception if we want one, which we do. The school is only interested in our graduation, just like it is for every other program. Pinning is a "nursing thing" that is just for us.

This is much the same at our school, except that there isn't a usual place for the pinning ceremony to be held. Each class decides where they'd like to do it.

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Yeah, but I find it weird that the school wouldn't let them use something on campus. We have to buy our own dress uniforms for graduation, but I'm going to worry about that when it's time. Otherwise, I'll hit my parents up if they really want the ceremony!!

I don't know if you were replying to my post or just in general, but I agree! I didn't mean I don't think they deserved to have a graduation of their own, just that my school doesn't give them one. I think it's kind of weird because most of them will already have jobs and such, and then have to come back and "graduate" again? I don't think that's fair..

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We have 2 pinning ceremonies a year, one for the December grads and one for the May grads. We also have the option of walking graduation in May with the rest of the college. Our student nurse organization pays for it all through fundraisers. Its really nice, they have a small meal with sandwiches, chips etc. They also give us a 5 x 7 of the group. We do have to pay for our pins though and they are $70.

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