Male graduate and pinning

Nurses Men

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Hello everyone, I just finished my last exit ATI predictor exam with 99% passing the NCLEX, and my pinning day is tomorrow. After deep thinking and since I'm the only male student, I decided not to go for pinning and graduation. I have another degree and passing nursing school is huge thing for me and I feel really great. Some of my friends are telling me since I'm not going to pinning that means I didn't take nursing school seriously which is not true at all.

I spent the last two years working nights and study with 2 kids and wife to take care of and beside that I graduated with 3.8 GPA in one of the hardest nursing schools in my area and one of the toughest programs. I went to nursing school to earn a degree and start new career not to get a pin. I have a job lined up already and I'm preparing for the NCLEX which I'll take within few weeks. Did anyone of you skip his pinning/ graduation? and how you really feel about it?

Thanks

In the realm of life, I don't think it matters either way if you attend the pinning ceremony or not.

But why does your being male have anything to do with this?

I know sometimes especially in ceremonies like Pinning things go emotional with a lot of crying. Honestly I will feel awkward especially I really don't have a close friends in my college (Not because I don't want friends) I was working a lot and just going to my classes and leave.

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I didn't go to my LPN graduation ceremony. I already have a Psychology degree so I've done the graduation thing a couple of times between that and high school. If and when I go back for my RN I'll probably go to that ceremony. I'll go for myself, my husband (he's been amazingly supportive) and for my kids and no one else.

I don't get why anyone would be offended that you're not going, I don't think it's anyone else's business. It's your graduation.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I think it's a moot point since the graduation and pinning ceremonies for the OP are already over but here is my take on it.

I agree with the other posters that being a man has nothing to do with this issue except that some guys may feel uncomfortable with the way that some of these ceremonies are carried out in a historically female-oriented fashion or perhaps the heightening of emotions and sentiment that can be seen with any sort of graduation ceremony. For my undergraduate degree, I attended the pinning ceremony because it was smaller and shorter in duration than graduation itself and my family was able to see my cross the stage and get my pin. I felt that the college graduation for the entire school was too long and so I skipped out on that with no regrets. Now that it's time for my master's degree pretty soon I'm not really sure if I want to attend graduation or not. I attend an online program but I live only 45 minutes away from my campus so going to the ceremony wouldn't be that difficult but I'm not sure if I really want to because I don't personally know many of my classmates. I guess I still have some time to think...

!Chris :specs:

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I had a wise professor who may have summed up what graduation means. The actual ceremony is not just about "you". it is a way for your family and friends that supported you on the journey to see the successful conclusion (or at least this step) of your career journey. I think she was right in many ways.

For me, the pinning is "nursing graduation". I could have cared less about the college / university ceremonies. I didn't attend the community college graduation after my ADN because the pinning ceremony was really my graduation in my mind. When I completed my BSN, I walked commencement for my parents and my husband to acknowledge the achievement and in my mind, I was "done".

Twenty years later I completed an online MSN. Graduation ceremonies were held twice a year. I had no plans to attend until my professor posted those words. I had tremendous support from my husband, several special professors who indicated they were attending the ceremony, and from 4 or 5 peers that I met online but had never seen in person. The group of us committed to go and it was one of the best weekends of our lives. I would not have missed it for the world in retrospect. Although some of those online friends have dropped from my contacts, I still am truly connected with one and we chat via email at least weekly and stay connected.

My daughter recently completed her BSN. I think the pinning ceremony was as emotionally moving for me as it may have been for her. I think she had some bittersweet moments of this chapter of her life ending and some anxiety about the future roles she would have. She made the decision to attend commencement (surprised me a bit, knowing her normal views of ceremony) and I think she felt she wanted one last time to connect with her peer support and to make nursing school 'complete' in her mind. My joy in watching her happiness overcame the hard seats, etc.

Whatever anyone chooses to do, is their own choice. Just be sure that you don't have regrets later. Those that want to take offense at a perceived 'snub' to the class or professors by not attending pinning, make a choice to feel that way.

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I don't really want to go to my graduation....... Waaaay too long (huge community college). Maybe, MAYBE I'll go if I can arrive later on in the ceremony (they do nursing last).

I will probably go to my pinning though. My school has a fair amount of non traditional student and I've pleasantly clicked with alot of my cohorts and our instructors are awesome.

Mainly, the only reason I'd go to graduation is my daughter. She's so proud of me becoming a nurse, I think she'd love to see me at graduation.

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You might very well have a job lined up, but the statistics are stacked against you if you're thinking that it's the only job you'll have over your career.

Don't go to your graduation if you don't want to. However, it's what you DON'T show up for that allows you to miss opportunities.

Someone once said "you miss out on 100 percent of the shots you don't take". You may think a pinning ceremony just isn't going to fit on your plate because you're married with children and scoff at the people who encourage you to go. However, you may be the one who will regret it later.

How about when you're applying to a new job and one of your classmates is the hiring manager?

You may think the scenario is a bit far-fetched, however, it happened to an acquaintance of mine.

Just food for thought.

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You might very well have a job lined up, but the statistics are stacked against you if you're thinking that it's the only job you'll have over your career.

Don't go to your graduation if you don't want to. However, it's what you DON'T show up for that allows you to miss opportunities.

Someone once said "you miss out on 100 percent of the shots you don't take". You may think a pinning ceremony just isn't going to fit on your plate because you're married with children and scoff at the people who encourage you to go. However, you may be the one who will regret it later.

How about when you're applying to a new job and one of your classmates is the hiring manager?

You may think the scenario is a bit far-fetched, however, it happened to an acquaintance of mine.

Just food for thought.

For all my respect to your opinion. If any hospital would decide to hire me based on a pinning ceremony only I will refuse to apply for it !!!!! I wont even take it !!! If anyone would hire me based on my performance and patient care and competency then I would love to apply for this job,. People need to understand that nursing not just a PIN it's more than that, it's ethical and professional career not PINNING. If I were a unit manger and I know someone I truly hate in my life applied to my unit I will take him in considerations of his/her performance and experience and I wont judge based on my feelings. In my opinion to love your job and build career based on what you believe is more important than a pinning ceremony. If I know one of class mates is the hiring manger and refused to hire me based on the pinning ceremony then I would think this person should not be a manger and shouldn't be a nurse in the first place. Not going to pinning dose not mean that I'm a horrible person.

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Specializes in ICU, Military.

I didn't go to mine and didn't care what people thought of me for it. All that mattered to me was getting my license and going on with my life. I was one of only 2 male nurses in my class.

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Specializes in Oncology, Rehab, Public Health, Med Surg.
For all my respect to your opinion. If any hospital would decide to hire me based on a pinning ceremony only I will refuse to apply for it !!!!! I wont even take it !!! If anyone would hire me based on my performance and patient care and competency then I would love to apply for this job,. People need to understand that nursing not just a PIN it's more than that, it's ethical and professional career not PINNING. If I were a unit manger and I know someone I truly hate in my life applied to my unit I will take him in considerations of his/her performance and experience and I wont judge based on my feelings. In my opinion to love your job and build career based on what you believe is more important than a pinning ceremony. If I know one of class mates is the hiring manger and refused to hire me based on the pinning ceremony then I would think this person should not be a manger and shouldn't be a nurse in the first place. Not going to pinning dose not mean that I'm a horrible person.

Nurse here for over 35 years. Pinned as LVN, skipped it as RN

Assuming you do all right things like making sure no ones expecting you and then you no-show, I Cannot imagine scenerio where non-attendance at pinning would matter.

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Yep, I skipped mine too! The ceremony wasn't the point of all that hard work. We were moving to another state, and (like you) my kids and husband were more important. The ceremony just wasn't important to me at all.

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You might very well have a job lined up, but the statistics are stacked against you if you're thinking that it's the only job you'll have over your career.

Don't go to your graduation if you don't want to. However, it's what you DON'T show up for that allows you to miss opportunities.

Someone once said "you miss out on 100 percent of the shots you don't take". You may think a pinning ceremony just isn't going to fit on your plate because you're married with children and scoff at the people who encourage you to go. However, you may be the one who will regret it later.

How about when you're applying to a new job and one of your classmates is the hiring manager?

You may think the scenario is a bit far-fetched, however, it happened to an acquaintance of mine.

Just food for thought.

Why would a classmate care one way or the other if you attend the ceremony? They most likely want whatever is best for you, and each person has different priorities.

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You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. And obviously you took nursing school seriously because you worked hard to do what you needed to do to succeed. Who cares what other people say and think. You have the ability to judge what is ok by you.

It's interesting how you mentioned you were a male in nursing. I get what you are saying. I don't what to sound sexist but the culture of nursing has a weird problem and I think it has a lot to do with the fact it's so female dominated. Who cares if you don't attend graduation? Doesn't mean anything.

I think women in our society in general takes meaning to things that aren't very necessary. Not because of their "lady-brains" or the presence of a lady parts and two XX chromosomes. I think because of what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal world, where we have to use cunning and manipulation and things OTHER than our physical power and presence to accomplish what we need done. How much easier would it be to be able to punch someone out and piss on them to show who's boss? (jk - but not really).

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