Capping Ceremony

justme1972 · Nov 12, 2008

Capping and pinning ceremonies are very, very individualized per school.

If it's 5 weeks away, they will have a rehersal.

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2008

Best advice is to ask your advisor what the school has done in the past---My school had a reading of a prayer and flowers given to each student from someone special~~husband,mother,sister, advisor etc etc. Then there was a greeting line of all the intstructors for each student to shake thier hand. Followed by cake and punch.

But this is just what I heard as I spent my evening of pinning at my sons 3rd grade musical, and I have no regrets about missing it. I spent enough of my time wtih my class and teachers and not nearly enough time with my family!!! By the time graduation rolled around I was having seriouse guilt that I had neglected my loved ones in pursuit of my nursing degree.

I had the school mail me my diploma!

WhoNeedsaShot? · Nov 12, 2008

My class is at a Vo Tech... The program has been in around since the 60s. However, the instructors say "Its our capping" and "Our plan" so they are being very mum, with ideas... There is such a huge age gap in the class debates are just out of hand, as in they can't even get anything narrowed down to "vote" on.

A huge part of me just wants to say "Screw it" ......but then the "Mother" part of me wants to say okay, guys if you want a nice ceremony, here is what we need to do........

Thanks again

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · Nov 12, 2008

however you do your capping ceremony, please make sure you enjoy it. it is a wonderful time of accomplishment for you and you deserve all the praise !! good luck !

lalagrace · Nov 12, 2008

So is this your begining of senior year capping? we had a black banding ceremony, which was lovely. It was very moving, and my school had a long history with this ceremony. We all chose a nurse who was special to us to be the person who place the black banded cap for us. Some choose mentors, others instructors, others family memebers who where nurses. We wore our clinical dress uniforms and the nurse who capped us wore a white dress uniform. it was done at a church near campus, so we did not decorate because the church already had evergreens and pointsettes out. We also had no reception after, each person celebrated with their own family. The organist from the church played a precessional when we entered and a recessional when we left.

It was like a mini graduation cermony, no pomp and circumstance, but otherwise very similar. We had a speaker who discussed her career in nursing, and it was presided over by the director of our nursing program.

The invites were printed very fomally by the school, similarly to graduation announcements, but only the people who the school invited got those! they had the school seal on them, and were again like graduation announcements. Everyone else either made their own or went word of mouth.

I feel that for these things, the more traditional the better, but thats my 2 cents.

For my husbands class, they had it at a building on campus like an alumni building, had rows of folding chairs. The class wore their clinical scrubs, and they chose their banders from whomever they's like. The banders wore dress clothes. The class members and families provided a pot luck supper for after the ceremony, and the class president said a few words. Much more low key, but still nice. No flowers, music or decorations. Invites were designed on the computer and printed out, then passed out to everyone.

I hope this helps, if you have any further questions just let me know

:nuke:

Michifura · Nov 12, 2008

When we did our pinning ceremony it was for the LPNs (approx 25) and RNs(approx 20). One year we had it in the school's performing arts auditorium but it ended up being too small for so many guests, the next year we requested it to be outside, the school did a nice set up with stage, podium, microphones, big screen, and chairs for nurses and guests.

The LPNs wore the school scrub uniforms worn to clinicals, white pants and green top and the RNs wore all white scrubs.

During clinicals, classroom projects, study groups pictures were taken and given to the instructors on a disk a week before the ceremony with a choice of song. Instructors reviewed pictures and chose the most appropriate ones and did a slide show for each nursing group.

A few months before the ceremony, pin orders (optional) were taken and submitted, pin had school name, nursing program info etc. They were delivered to us prior to the ceremony and it was each students responsibilty to bring your pin that night. Not every student ordered a pin so that night they brought any pin of their choice: some had pins saying LPN or RN, some had birthstones, angels, etc..

That evening each student had an index card (flashcard) written on one side was your name on the other side was a little saying, who you wanted to give thanks to for their support, etc..

A thick ribbon strand was given to each student (light blue for LPNs and dark blue for RNs = not sure of the significance of the colors, could have been school colors???) The ribbon was looped so you can place your pin but have enough room to be able to place the ribbon over your head (like a necklace).

Students gathered in a room, lined up and walked down the aisle to the song played during graduations ????, and sat up front; the director of nursing program spoke, introduced key guests/instructors/faculty; a ceremony speaker was invited from healthcare (CEOs, Directors, etc) they spoke; a student (representative) from the group spoke and introduced slide show; slide show played; program coordinator spoke and introduced students; as students walked on stage they were given a lamp, some do candles, the index card was given to the coordinator as he read from your card you walked across the stage with your ribbon and gave it to your instructor of choice so they can place it on you; shake hands with others on stage and take a place on stage forming a semicircle, once everyone in place the lamps or candles were lit by an instructor or two depending on group size and the Florence Nightingale pledge was recited. Group walks off stage, closing remarks by director of nursing program, cake cookies and punch were offered.

Some students went out to eat with family afterwards, some had get- togethers at their house, after the ceremony everybody did their own thing.

Hope this helps and gives you some ideas. Congratulations on completing the program, and best of luck to you!!!!!

IamVickiRN · Nov 13, 2008

Whoneedsashot:

If you private message me I think I may be able to help you out.

Vicki

APBT mom, LPN, RN · Nov 13, 2008

Your school sounds like mine when it came to the pinning ceremony except they told us when we had 6 weeks until graduation. lol.

The only thing they told us was that we had to wear our caps, could use whatever pin we wanted, had to wear white, and they would provide candles wrapped in foil for the candle ceremony.

We asked our insructors if we could take pictures of us at clinicals and doing things at school to make a slide show before the ceremony started. We burned a CD with some songs that we decided went with graduating and moving on to the next step.

We took a collection of two dollars from everyone in class and went every dollar store in town and found some cute candle holders shaped like stars and another student brought some blue ribbon (school's color) to wap around the bottom of the candle holder. They also printed programs with all of our names, honor society in one area, speakers in another, instructors and title, etc...

While friends and family were walking in we played the music and put the pics up in a slide show (similar to what you can do on photobucket or rock you) saying who was in the pics and what we were doing.

When the ceremony started we walked in and sat down except for the three top people in our class who were speakers for various things. They got to go on stage. Principle and vice principle said a speech, the validictorian (sp) was the Emcee for the evening so she intorduced everyone. The second student said a little something about our journey to becoming nurses and the third student said something about the history of nursing. The director of the program acknowledged the honor society students (we had to stand up when our name was called). The actual pinning involved us walking on stage when our name was called, shaking priciple, vice principle, and directors hand, and going up to one of our instructors and getting pinned. (Helpful hint is to get some material and straight pins, have everyone pin their pin to it. That way the instructors/whoever pins you can do it easier.) Then we walked off stage and picked up a candle. Got back into line until everyone had walked, got back on stage and said some nurses prayer/pledge (IMO it wasn't very good see if you can find Florence's nursing oath or something similar unless you're required to say something specific.) Then the director said something along the lines of I like to present the graudating class of 2008 PN program. Applause, we walked off the stage left the auditorium and that's all folks.

Took a whopping 15 mins for 40 students.

Other classes took a table from the school and offered chips/cookies and drinks but we decided not to because it wasn't at our campus and the campus we were at had a play or something going on at 8:30 so we had to get it done and go. One of the students however di have a family member (who's a professional photographer take pictures of us walking across the stage getting pinned and saying the prayer/pledge).

Hope this helps.