Pinning Ceremony Attire

LeesieBug · Mar 20, 2006

I am definitely attending my pinning...I wouldn't miss it even if I had to wear a monkey costume in 110 degree weather.:wink2:

FORTUNATELY, all we have to do is dress up...professional attire, no special guidelines.

We do have a graduation....the pinning ceremony is done by the College of Nursing, with the graduation being for the University as a whole.

My pin purchased through school was 40 bucks, although if we wanted to we could buy more fancy ones, ranging in price up to about 150.

fla orange · Mar 20, 2006

Good morning Guys, Yes I'll be attending my pinning ceremony and graduation. For the pinning ceremony we're required to wear our uniforms and have the hair up off the collor. We had to buy our pins and they were priced at the $35-$150 range. I bought the gold filled one for $42. Our graduation is 10 days apart form our pinning ceremony and its done as a college at the local collisem. Good luck everybody!

elkpark · Mar 20, 2006

You are right-- it is inappropriate, academically and professionally, to be pinned in a gown and mortarboard, because it is inappropriate to wear a nursing pin with a cap/gown. Pins go on (nursing) uniforms, and that's what should be worn for pinning ceremonies.

When I graduated from a BSN completion program many years ago (after having been an RN already for many years), the "regular" BSN students were so excited about their pins that they wanted to wear them on their gowns for commencement the folllowing day and the faculty had a v. hard time convincing them that this was not appropriate and would not be allowed. The faculty finally ended up posting a faculty member at the base of the steps up to the stage (at the actual commencement ceremony) to check each nursing student as her name was called, and, if she was wearing her pin on her gown, it came off and went in the instructor's pocket (until after the ceremony). :)

BTW (and I'm surprised how many nursing faculty people don't know the "rules" for this sort of thing these days, or, at least, don't care enough any more to do it right), gowns and mortarboards always go together -- wearing "just" gowns without the mortarboards (for your pinning) is the academic equivalent of having all of you show up topless for the ceremony ... :)

IMO, this sort of thing is another example of how nursing sets itself up to be a second-class citizen in academia, by failing to be aware of (or choosing to ignore) the traditions and practices followed by all the other schools and departments in a university. PLUS, we're throwing away all of our own unique traditions and practices as quickly as we can! Seems like a bad idea to me, but I realize I'm in the minority ... :)

HHW2006 · Mar 20, 2006

Yes, I am attending my pinning! I have workd too hard not to!! We are only required to wear professional dress. The college does have a separate graduation ceremony- caps and gowns are saved for that. Our pins ranged in price from about $30 to $150. Just depends on what you want. You really should rethink not attending your pinning. If you have never been to one, it is a very special thing. Skip graduation, but you really should go to pinning- even if you have to wear a gown! Did you read the post where she has to wear her uniform? To me that is far worse than a gown-after two years of wearing our hideous blue uniforms I am ready to burn mine, the last thing I want to do is wear it to pinning.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sabrn2006 · Mar 20, 2006

In answer to your questions:

1. Yes, I am going.

2. I don't know yet what we have to wear. I'm sure we will be expected to wear professional clothing or maybe our uniforms?

3. The college also has graduation earlier on the same day. I was actually debating whether or not to go through with that ceremony. The pinning is more personal and specific to our nursing class.

4. I am receiving the school's pin as a gift from my mother for graduation (so she tells me). She graduated from the same program 23 years ago!

DeeSki · Mar 20, 2006

You are right-- it is inappropriate, academically and professionally, to be pinned in a gown and mortarboard, because it is inappropriate to wear a nursing pin with a cap/gown. Pins go on (nursing) uniforms, and that's what should be worn for pinning ceremonies.
When I graduated from a BSN completion program many years ago (after having been an RN already for many years), the "regular" BSN students were so excited about their pins that they wanted to wear them on their gowns for commencement the folllowing day and the faculty had a v. hard time convincing them that this was not appropriate and would not be allowed. The faculty finally ended up posting a faculty member at the base of the steps up to the stage (at the actual commencement ceremony) to check each nursing student as her name was called, and, if she was wearing her pin on her gown, it came off and went in the instructor's pocket (until after the ceremony). :)
BTW (and I'm surprised how many nursing faculty people don't know the "rules" for this sort of thing these days, or, at least, don't care enough any more to do it right), gowns and mortarboards always go together -- wearing "just" gowns without the mortarboards (for your pinning) is the academic equivalent of having all of you show up topless for the ceremony ... :)
IMO, this sort of thing is another example of how nursing sets itself up to be a second-class citizen in academia, by failing to be aware of (or choosing to ignore) the traditions and practices followed by all the other schools and departments in a university. PLUS, we're throwing away all of our own unique traditions and practices as quickly as we can! Seems like a bad idea to me, but I realize I'm in the minority ... :)

Thanks for sharing those "rules" I love to know the right way of doing things. I have a question regarding wearing the pin. If you are in a nursing position where you do not wear a uniform, possibly a lab coat if anything, maybe you are an NP...can you then wear your nursing pin? Nowadays, wearing a "uniform" is relative.

Also, I don't graduate until next year, normally freshman in my program participated in the ceremony by receiving a "stripe" for their caps (that they didn't wear). This part of the ceremony has been deleted now. I attend pinning ceremonies as I am freshman class president - senior president next year. We have to wear our white uniforms for pinning. Graduation is the next day and we wear cap and gown (for those that participate).

elkpark · Mar 20, 2006

Thanks for sharing those "rules" I love to know the right way of doing things. I have a question regarding wearing the pin. If you are in a nursing position where you do not wear a uniform, possibly a lab coat if anything, maybe you are an NP...can you then wear your nursing pin? Nowadays, wearing a "uniform" is relative.
Also, I don't graduate until next year, normally freshman in my program participated in the ceremony by receiving a "stripe" for their caps (that they didn't wear). This part of the ceremony has been deleted now. I attend pinning ceremonies as I am freshman class president - senior president next year. We have to wear our white uniforms for pinning. Graduation is the next day and we wear cap and gown (for those that participate).

Yes, you can wear your pin on the lapel of a lab coat if that is what you wear at work. You can wear your pin whenever you are working -- if you wear street clothes to work, that's your work "uniform."

You can also affix your pin to a work badge/name tag (with or without a lab coat); I've done that, too (I've worked in street clothes for most of my career). Some uniform shops & catalogs even sell "badge holders" that have extra holes in them esp. for that purpose. It's handy because you don't have to think (separately) about the pin every time you're getting dressed for work -- it's already right there on your badge.

(And I'm glad to hear there are (still) some schools that do it "right"! :) )

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 20, 2006

1. Are you attending your pinning ceremony?
2. What are you required to wear?
3. Does your school have graduation in addition to pinning?
4. Did you buy your school's pin? If so, how much did it cost?
(My answer to #4: I bought one that I will give to my dad because he collects pins. I hate yellow gold so I bought a silver one, which was $40. It's ugly and feels quite flimsy. Kind of a rip-off, but my dad will like having it in his collection.)

Funny timing: I have a thread up called "Like input about nursing pins" or something like that :)

ok:

1: Yes

2: White whites, professional attire only. Don't care if it's pants and prof blouse, pristine scrubs, skirt/tops, or full-out dresses with or without blazers. Me, I'm leaning towards a Peaches uniform dress for $45.

3: My school is a community college; the school's academic graduation ceremony is a week after the Nurse's Candlelight Ceremony. I WON'T be attending the mortarboard/gown pomp and circumstance circus, however--I didn't attend it the first time I earned a degree, in the late 80's, so I don't see the point now! I WILL be thrilled to be in the Candlelight, though :)

4: See my thread on pins!

EmilyCCRN · Mar 20, 2006

Skip graduation, but you really should go to pinning- even if you have to wear a gown! Did you read the post where she has to wear her uniform? To me that is far worse than a gown-after two years of wearing our hideous blue uniforms I am ready to burn mine, the last thing I want to do is wear it to pinning.
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I helped out at last year's pinning ceremony, and it was a little embarrassing (not that all ceremonies are, but our school ran it very poorly). They didn't do a sound check before the ceremony so the microphones malfunctioned, and one speaker even turned her back to the audience during her entire 15-minute speech so only the graduates could hear her. Whoever put together the slide show used light blue font on top of the pictures so you couldn't read the captions, and the music wasn't played on cue. And of course I've made it clear how I feel about wearing graduation attire to a pinning ceremony...and they wore the whole outfit. :rolleyes: I had planned on going to mine until I found out about the gown thing, but I know that I'll have no regrets if I don't go. I didn't even attend my high school graduation, and I am still having nightmares about my Bachelor's degree graduation (the only reason I went is because my dad paid for part of my education, so it was his call).

Thanks, everyone, for your input! :nurse:

allthingsbright · Mar 20, 2006

Our school lets each class do things the way they want-we vote on stuff and go from there. Most classes choose to wear whites and we get to choose our pin. We can also vote on whether or not to wear our caps. Graduation is separate and done by the school-pinning is by the nursing program.

We also put together a reception and get to do the whole thing wherever we want (church, auditorium, hotel meeting room/ballroom, etc.). We also raise the funds to cover the costs of the party and everything.

I would NOT miss it for the world. I dream of graduation!

Gompers, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2006

We had a choice - our school scrubs, dressy white uniforms, or dress clothes. We voted as a class and decided on the dress clothes. Our school scrubs were ugly and looked pretty worn out after two years of clinicals, and no one wanted to go out and buy dressy white uniforms that we knew we wouldn't be wearing again once working as nurses.