Nursing School Pinning

Every year nursing classes all over the country have a special ceremony known as their pinning ceremony. Traditionally, they are pinned with the college's special school pin. The nursing student chooses someone special to them to pin them on stage while information about the the nursing student's future plans are read to the audience. Our ceremony was held Tuesday, May 25th in Carson City.

Above, is my nursing school class pin. Engraved on the backside are my initials TRM and my year 2010.

We all sat on stage alphabetically. On each side of the stage were video screens for the audience to see the action on stage better. As their nursing student was getting closer to be pinned, the people they had chosen to pin them would line up on the side of the stage.

Above are Mom and Dwayne, the two people I chose to pin me, waiting to come on stage for me.

Above, one of the instructors gives my pin to my mom and Dwayne to come and pin me with.

Mom did the pinning part to make sure it didn't fall off.

Dwayne had gotten me some really pretty roses that he gave me on stage.

Afterwards, we could pose for a picture with our special people. Once the pinning was done, we all returned to our seats until the ceremony was over.

My friend Darcey and her fiance Phil made this sign for me. While I was getting pinned they were in the audience waving the sign and cheering for me. It was awesome! Darcey graduated from the nursing program the year before me.

After the ceremony was over, we all went out for pizza!

It had been a long day and we just wanted to do something that was easy going.

As you can see, Dwayne was ready to cut loose.

Above is the guy making our pizza order

My mom had these little signs with each of our pictures on it for graduation for my sister and me. She brought the one she made for me with her to my pinning ceremony. On one side was my nursing school picture.

On the other side were little sayings and pictures that were awesome!

There were arcade games for everyone to play of course! Look at how intensely Dwayne and his dad are staring at the screen. Must be a pretty intense game!

My best friend Erin was even able to get off work and come to my ceremony.

The "gang" waiting for the pizzas to come out. Quick, somebody feed my sister! She's going loopy!

Erin and I together before she headed back home.

The fun machines had fake teeth. Dwayne and his dad were hooked. They were called "Dentures by D'Wayne" ha ha ha. How funny.

My Mommy and me before we left to go home. I love her so much! She and Dwayne were my biggest strengths during the nursing program. Thank you both so much!

Graduation Party

The ceremony was over and it was time celebrate!

Everyone headed back to the house for cake, food and some time visiting. Above is me with my friend Jessica and her son Lucas.

My friend Darby and me

Me in my nurse's cap

Three generations: Melanie, Grandma, Mom and me

And then it was time for cake!

White cake with cream cheese frosting. Yummy

Mellie and I cut the cake together

After a while it was time to open gifts. The picture above is a special stethoscope with a smaller bell and diaphragm that I can use on my small babies.

Me with the Baerwaldts, Dan and Erin

Me with Uncle Shane and Carla

The siblings! Melanie, Steven and me.

After everyone left, it was time to get ready for the next day's festivities. The pinning ceremony was the next day in Carson City.

Nursing School Graduation

After two very fast, very long years, it was time for graduation! Graduation was Monday, May 24th. The day before we spent our Sunday afternoon relaxing and shopping in Reno. The above photo of us was taken while we were having lunch. Dwayne's parents flew in from Texas for the events and my Uncle Bill, Aunt Lisa and Cousin Amanda drove in from California.
Family and friends from in town and nearby towns also attended.

Monday came and it was time to get ready. I took a break to have a little snack. :)

My sister has been working towards her Fine Arts degree while I was working on my Nursing degree. She graduated that night too.

We decided to take some family pictures before the ceremony since we knew how crazy it can get once things get going.

Dwayne and Me outside our house.

Dwayne's Dad, Dwayne, Me and Dwayne's Mom

Me with Auntie, Cousin Jordan, and Melanie

Me with Mom, John and Melanie

Us Girls

Cousin Amanda, Me, Melanie, Aunt Lisa, and Uncle Bill

Before long it was time to head to the ceremony. It was held at the Barkley Oats Park Arts Center. Mom snook downstairs to find us in the waiting area to catch a quick shot of us.

The ceremony was very nice. They always open with a beautiful bagpipe group, then the national anthem, and then of course the guest speakers. After all the formalities were done, it was time to walk across that stage! Above is my sister with her turn.

Then it was my turn to go!

It felt wonderful to walk across the stage and have that moment after all the hard work that went into getting there!

My nursing classmates decided to sit all together. We were at the back of the group, but believe me, everyone knew we were there! At the end of the ceremony as everyone was exiting the stage we decided to do the wave! It was a nod to one of our classes from spring semester. For review, our teachers liked to play jeopardy. Sometimes they would give out extra points for extra enthusiasm so we would be extra loud and one of the things we would do was the wave!

Above is what was considered the Western Nevada College Rural Nursing Group. Way to go guys, we made it! Aren't we a great looking group of Nurses?

Graduation News!

Well, if you have been watching my ticker to right of our page, you will see that graduation is just around the corner! I am happy to report that finals are over, I have taken my last nursing school exam and am no longer a Student Nurse, but now a Graduate Nurse. That was quite the two years! I am happy they are over but in a way, it is kind of bittersweet. The hard work payed off and now, it is time to graduate!




So what is up next now that I have finished nursing school? I have to take the State Board's exam to get licensed. Once I take and pass what is called the NCLEX, I will then be called an RN. Once that is over, I will be able to start working as a nurse. I have also been accepted into and enrolled into the Orvis School of Nursing's RN to BSN program at UNR. I will begin working toward my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing in the Fall. I will give more information about that as we get closer but for now, I think some celebration is in order!

Graduation will take place on

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:00 PM

at the Barkley Theater at Oats Park

The following day, Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 1:00 PM

the Nursing Program Pinning Ceremony will take place in Carson City.

The pinning ceremony is a tradition in the nursing community. New nursing graduates are pinned by someone they choose with traditionally, the school pin. The ceremony highlights the hard work the nursing students have done over the last two years. A class photo is dedicated to the school from the nursing class and photos are shown of our activities over the prior semesters. It is a special ceremony and is of high importance in the nursing community.

So, some of you are wondering where I will be working. I have been offered a job on the pediatric unit at Renown Health. I am very excited about this job opportunity and can't wait to start my new job.

The above picture is of some of the new co-workers I will be working with starting June 21st. I had the ability to do my final practicum rotation on the pediatric unit and as a result I was able to get a head start on my orientation to the floor and meet a lot of the people I will be seeing more regularly come June.

So, Renown will be my first home as a new nurse! I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life! The time I have already spent on the pediatric unit during May has proven to be the right place for me!