Pinning ceremony, now that you're an RN, was it worth it?

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Oct 28, 2006

I'm wondering how you experienced nurses feel about your pinning ceremony now that you are out in the working world.
I'm a single mother. Money is tight. Our class wants in the neighborhood of 250.00 for each of us to participate in the pinning ceremony. I believe that does NOT pay for the pin itself. So...if I don't do this, what will it mean in the long run? Will I regret it? Or will I be glad I saved my money?

Absolutely I think it was worth it. It was a great memory. However, I think we paid $10 a person for it. $250 is way steep!

I think you may regretting not going, but 250 is just way too much.

Halinja, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2006

$10 I could handle. Shoot, I could even be a BIG spender and go for double that! But any time something goes into triple digits, I get nervous.

TazziRN, RN · Oct 28, 2006

I don't remember there being a cost for the pinning, but it was so long ago I could be wrong.

As for the pinning, how much it means to you would depend on the importance you yourself place on ceremonies.

You can't be the only one short on funds. Is there something in place at school to help those in the same position as you? Could you privately go to someone in admin and ask about this?

miko014 · Oct 28, 2006

I went to my pinning and skipped graduation, and I'm not sorry at all. We didn't have to pay anything for the pinning...I don't think I would have gone to the pinning if it would have cost that much money...I doubt I would even have paid $100...maybe not even $50, I don't know. I know a lot of other people in my class of 140+ who would not have gone if we had been charged that much. If that had been my situation, I would have reversed it and gone to graduation but skipped pinning.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2006

I think $250 is ridiculous for a pinning ceremony. We had ours in a small auditorium on campus, and we used money each class had made (we'd do small fundraisers like bake sales throughout the year to make a little cash for stuff like this) to have a little reception afterwards, just cake and coffee. The only thing we had to pay for was our pin, and there were choices for that. We could choose 14 or 24 karat gold, gold plated, etc. There was an economical choice for those who couldn't or didn't want to spend a ton of money on their pin. I bought the 14 karat gold one, and I honestly couldn't even tell you were it is today.

If they won't budge on the $250, I wouldn't go, personally. It was a nice ceremony, but I don't remember it being one of the high points of my education or nursing career.

Now, I'm not very religious, but I have to say that the one thing that really stands out to me from nursing school, ceremony-wise, was an event that happened before we started our very first clinicals sophomore year. Our families were invited to the school chapel (it was a Catholic university) and we had a "blessing of the hands" ceremony. The priest and our instructors spoke about how special nursing was and how we were going to touch so many lives in our careers. They wanted to bless our hands before we literally touched our first patients, kind of like saying that we were doing God's work. I swear, no matter what religion we were, all of us were very very touched during this ceremony and there were many tears.

I work in a Catholic hospital now. Every year during Nurse's Week, the hospital priest and chaplains come around to all the units on all the shifts and bless the hands of the nurses. I still get very teary eyed every time.

Melina · Oct 28, 2006

Just reading your post made me teary. I hope they do that at my school! I'm not religious either, but WOW! Thanks for sharing that beautiful story.

~Mel'

Now, I'm not very religious, but I have to say that the one thing that really stands out to me from nursing school, ceremony-wise, was an event that happened before we started our very first clinicals sophomore year. Our families were invited to the school chapel (it was a Catholic university) and we had a "blessing of the hands" ceremony. The priest and our instructors spoke about how special nursing was and how we were going to touch so many lives in our careers. They wanted to bless our hands before we literally touched our first patients, kind of like saying that we were doing God's work. I swear, no matter what religion we were, all of us were very very touched during this ceremony and there were many tears.
I work in a Catholic hospital now. Every year during Nurse's Week, the hospital priest and chaplains come around to all the units on all the shifts and bless the hands of the nurses. I still get very teary eyed every time.

AuntieRN · Oct 28, 2006

We didn't pay for our pinning either, just the pin...wait no it cost us $10 for a graduation fee to get our diplomas sent to us and we picked out our own pins and the price ranged from $10- so something like $350 depending on wether you wanted real gold and diamonds or just a plain silver one that was generic. I think I would have paid up to around $100 if I had to, but, my pinning ceremony was very important to me. I am a wayyy older student and the first in my family to graduate from college so it was important to me. A lot of people from my class did not attend and say they do not regret it. So I guess it does just depend on how important it is to you and I would find out what I would be getting for that kind of money that's for sure. Good luck to you.

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2006

i didn't go to mine, and i don't regret it in the least.

as tazzi said, it really depends on how you feel about ceremonies. i hate them. (don't even like weddings!)

if you are a very sentemental type, then missing the pinning ceremony might bother you. but for $250, i'd really have to like ceremonies to go! that is just an insane amount of money to spend with all of the other expenses you have coming up (like nclex).

Hoozdo, ADN · Oct 28, 2006

i didn't go to mine, and i don't regret it in the least.

same with me. the only pin that means anything to me is my badge that has rn after my name!

allnurses Guide · Oct 28, 2006

I loved my pinning ceremony; it was just a really sweet little gathering. We all carried candles and someone sang a couple of "inspirational" songs, and then we all got pinned by family members or friends or SO's, or whoever. Some students were pinned by their children. I had tears in my eyes through most of the ceremony; unlike many people I loved nursing school and I loved, well, most of the people in my class.

HOWEVER, I also don't remember paying 250 dollars to participate. Seems like my pin cost, maybe 100 dollars, and I think that's all I had to pay for. Didn't have to pay any kind of fee for the ceremony itself.

whiskeygirl, LPN · Oct 28, 2006

Oh boy! The cost for graduation at the associates school I went to was $300. It supposedly was for the cap and gown, pin, certificate, photo and the ceremony. Oh I did get my certificate, with my name spelled wrong! EVERYONE was forced to pay, even if they did not go. The students that were out of state were even made to pay the fee, even if they had not way of making it to graduation. Such a shame!