Vent! They cancelled our pinning!

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Okay, so I just heard today that my school is refusing to let us do a pinning ceremony for the graduating nursing class! They said if you want to "graduate" you can do it like everyone else at the normal graduation, and we'll just give you a pin there too. Take into consideration the school pays for none of this ceremony. It's all money raised by fundraisers, money given mostly by the students. But they are refusing to let us have this ceremony on campus. I still have one year left, so I have a year to fight this but it's totally screwing over (pardon the language) the people that are graduating now. It would be one thing if it was a school tradition to do a pinning, but for goodness sake this tradition has been around for all nurses for forever! We've tried to get the faculty involved, but their hands are tied since it's all the administration that decided this. We've thought about doing the ceremony off campus but to rent a place, and get everything that we need it's would be just too much money. I know the people graduating now are really bummed because they have no chance to fight this. I just don't understand how they can do this! I'm sorry I just had to vent. All i know is i'm going to fight like heck to make sure my class has a pinning ceremony even if it has to be in my backyard! Thanks for listening/reading.

Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
I respectfully disagree back -- the original point of the pinning ceremony (the tradition posters here want to maintain) was that it was the graduation ceremony, the school putting its final "stamp of approval" (the school's pin) on the graduates. For students to organize and put on their "own" pinning ceremony makes exactly as much sense and has exactly as much legitimacy as the students organizing and putting on their own commencement ceremony. If it's not an official act of/by the school, it's pointless and just an imitation or parody of "real" pinning ceremonies. If graduating students want to throw themselves a great party to recognize their own accomplishments, their families' contributions, etc., I think that's a great idea and every graduating class should definitely do that -- but don't call it a "pinning ceremony," because it isn't.

If this is a pointless tradition that university and community college-based nursing education programs no longer wish to continue, have they also done away pins? If not, why not?

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My pinnning was not my school giving me their "stamp of approval".

It was a chance for us new grad nurses to stand up and say "Look at me! I made it!" and share our joy with our fellow students and our families- the only other people who could understand what we went through, the sacrifices we made and how proud we were.

It was a special acknowledgment for us alone-

Much more meaningful than going up on stage with thousands of grads- getting their degrees in business, accounting, computer science, etc.

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Specializes in Orthopaedics/Med-Surg.

I am graduating with my ADN this year, and would also be very disappointed if my school canceled our pinning. I earned a BSN in another discipline, and that didn't mean as much to me as earning my nursing degree. I've worked so much harder for this, and I'm excited to share the ceremony with my nursing classmates, who I've bonded with and will miss. We can have as many guests as we want, so our families and significant others, who have had to put up with our craziness for the last 2 years, can be there too.

Back to the point of the question - you've gotten some great ideas for ways to have pinning next year for your class. Or, as someone mentioned, you could have your own celebration minus the pinning aspect. Best of luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.
Ok...just my two cents....but alot of people are forgetting the point of this thread.

This isn't a pinning ceremony vs no pinning ceremony debate.

The pinning ceremony IS important to the OP and her class...she's looking for suggestions on what else they can do.

Thank you very much for the redirect!

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self-deleting; sorry for participating in heading off-topic.

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One of the things they can do is insist that their school permit a pinning.

The identical thing happened to my class.

We got our pinning back by presenting to our college admin the very arguments I'm presenting here.

The title of the thread is "Vent! They cancelled our pinning!"

Nothing off topic about it.

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Specializes in ER; HBOT- lots others.

I think that if it is that important to you.. DO IT! i would too! i would be ticked. its a tradition, and i feel that if mine were cancelled i would feel a bit left out of a very time honored tradition. i would get your class involved and do it on your own. it doesnt have to be some expensive thing, but ya know? its the point of doing it. i can tell you for sure, that there would be some instructors that would POSITIVELY come and support you and whatever they could! i am sure of it! they are not all evil and eat their young.

Lemme know what happens! PM me if you can, in case i cant find this thread again!

GL!!

DO IT!!

-H-

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somedayrn-

If you subscribe to the thread, you can always find it in your user "my account" under "subscribed threads."

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.

I hauled my sorry sick butt out of bed medicated on Phenergan to attend my pinning ceremony. Some things just mean that much!

I will admit to a bit of "let down" afterwards, though. The pinning was done, school was over, I had a degree, and yet there was that little matter of the NCLEX

OP, our local hospitals donated roses, our lamps, and our pins. Wouldn't hurt to approach yours to see if they'd be willing to help.

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I have never heard of a pinning ceremony for canadian nursing students.

From what I know, my nursing school doesn't do a pinning ceremony. Maybe its only a USA nursing school thing. However, if its important to you, fight for it!

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Pinning is a big deal. I went to my ceremony as my (accelerated option) classmates all decided that they did not want to walk but that pinning was a must attend.

I don't agree that pinning ceremonies should be phased out. I think that getting pinned as a nurse is like getting your wings as a military avator. It is a huge accomplishment that is well deserving of special ceremony and recognition.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Viking,

Not often that we agree, but your post was very well stated.

While pinning is unique to nursing, the concept of a recognition ceremony separate and different from graduation is not.

When my sister received her MD from a Big 10 school, she attended graduation with the other Doctoral candidates, and then a separate ceremony with her fellow graduating physicians. During that ceremony, they took the Hippocratic Oath, much as we recited the Nightengale Pledge during pinning.

Likewise, a friend who received a DVM was granted his diploma during the university graduation ceremony, but then participated in a separate function with his fellow Veterinary graduates during which they took an oath to protect the public health.

I firmly believe that these are traditions well-worth continuing.

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