CSM recognizes nursing graduates
CSM nursing graduates receive pins
The College of Southern Maryland recently held its 2022 Winter Commencement, during which 38 new nurses received their pins during a virtual Nursing Recognition Ceremony held last month.
CSM Nursing Professor Robin Young said the traditional pinning ceremony symbolizes a rite of passage into the professional world of nursing and the nurse’s commitment to those they care for.
Wright said that the origin of the nursing pin dates back 800 years. Modern pinning ceremonies date to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George. To share the honor, Nightingale presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates and by 1916, the practice of pinning new graduates was standard throughout the United
States.
“Our CSM Nursing Pin represents this commitment to those we care for and a graduate of our program,” Young told the graduates. “As you go forth into the world of nursing, wear your pin with pride. You worked very hard to receive this well-deserved honor.”
The history of CSM’s nursing pin begins in 1979, when the Associate Degree Nursing Program was established. The pin was redesigned in 2000 when Charles County Community College’s name was changed to CSM.
Guest speaker Dawn Yeitrakis, who is the vice president and chief nursing officer at MedStar Health and a 1996 CSM alumnus, looked back on her more than 22 years of experience as a nurse and recalled times she felt full of self-doubt early in her career and told students not to forget that their pins are proof that they belong in the profession.
“This environment that we are working in today is full of uncertainty,” Yeitrakis said. “When times get hard and you are wondering if you belong, you should remember that you are valuable, you have earned your place in the profession, and you are the right person for the job. You are nurses who touch lives in ways that others cannot. We are so fortunate to have you in our ranks.”
Shannon Chesley was chosen as the class representative, and she acknowledged the challenges that she and her classmates lived through because of the pandemic – from needing to adjust to classes and online clinicals and creating relationships with teachers and classmates from afar, to dealing with health challenges and school disruptions at home.
“As nurses, we must be willing and able to have hope in a time of despair that will in turn allow us to leave a lasting imprint on others,” Chesley said. “We persevered during difficult times and have come out better because of it.”
The students’ pins were presented by faculty members Morag Dahlstrom, Lauren Guy, Linda Hamel, Dawn Leukhardt and Rose Miller.
Brooke Gatton was awarded the Academic Achievement in Nursing Award while Lauren Taylor was recognized with the Achievement in
Nursing Award.
CSM Acting Chair of Nursing Sara Cano told the students that the difficult environment of the last two years has left them well prepared for their career.
“In the best of times nursing school is challenging, but we are not in the best of times,” she said. “For two years you have been figuring out how to handle this new world that is constantly changing. As a nurse you will be challenged to work under immense pressure. Use what you have learned to handle those challenges.”