UD Nursing Program to Hold Pinning Ceremony
May 8, 2012 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
On Friday, May 11, 2012 the University of Dubuque Nursing Program will celebrate the sixth graduating class of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students since the program's reinstatement in 2004, with a Pinning Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. in Steffens Hall of the Charles and Romona Myers Center.
"In the 21st century, patient care environments and needs have become more complex, and nurses must learn how to provide high quality care in the realities of this setting," stated Dr. Peg Kerr, UD Nursing Department Head. At the University of Dubuque, nursing students attain competencies in the areas of health policy, leadership, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and teamwork and collaboration, as well as competency in specific content areas such as community health and gerontology nursing. Nurses educated at the BSN level are prepared to manage the complexities of our ever-changing health care industry."
Twenty-nine students will receive their nursing pin. They are: Bailey Abele (Mesa, Arizona), Amber Bisping (Dubuque, Iowa), Jessalynn Breiner (Dubuque, Iowa), Angela Damptz (Davis Junction, Illinois), Raymond Del Rosario (Lake in the Hills, Illinois), Stephanie Duehr (Dubuque, Iowa), Amanda Ernst (Bellevue, Iowa), Erin Evans (Freeport, Illinois), Crystal Foshe (Kingston, Illinois), Hannah Haugestuen (Barron, Wisconsin), Angela Horaney (Dubuque, Iowa), Samantha Krantz (Lancaster, Wisconsin), Kristin Mortensen (Belvidere, Illinois), Melissa Niemann (Stockton, Illinois), Jessica Rannals (Dubuque, Iowa), Kelsey Rursch (Clinton, Iowa), Kimberly Sanquist (Cordova, Illinois), Robert Sarver (Mount Pleasant, Iowa), Susan Szymczak (Palatine, Illinois), Jessica Vandenheuvel (Creston, Iowa), Korie Whitford (Platteville, Wisconsin), and Ariel Zogas (Wheaton, Illinois).
The Pinning Ceremony is a time-honored nursing school tradition - Nursing Programs have conducted an Honors or Pinning Ceremony as a rite of passage from student nurses to practice nurses. Dating back to 1880, the pinning ceremony itself signifies the integrity and tradition of badges worn by the healers and crusaders of care. Regardless of where their new careers in nursing take the graduates, their pin will represent where they earned their professional education.
Nursing began at University of Dubuque in 1976 and, until 1997, the program offered fully accredited RN-to-BSN and MSN nursing preparation. In fall 2004, the University instituted a pre-licensure BSN Nursing program; in April 2007, this program received national accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
