USC Aiken Nursing Students Receive Pins, Light Nightingale Lamp

Aiken, SC (01/03/2019) — Just before they graduated, University of South Carolina Aiken nursing students received their nursing insignia and lit the Nightingale Lamp in a time-honored ceremony which is the culminating event for them before they receive their degrees.

As part of this traditional ceremony, nursing graduates received their nursing pins, which symbolize the students' health care achievement. This tradition in the United States dates back to 1880 when the first Nightingale school, named for the renowned Florence Nightingale, was established. Nightingale is generally considered the founder of modern nursing.

In addition to receiving their nursing pins, graduates light a candle and recite the "Nightingale Pledge" during the ceremony.

"This is one of our favorite events on campus," said Dr. Thayer McGahee, dean of the school of nursing.

"We celebrate not only the accomplishments of these health care professionals but their promising futures as well."

During the special ceremony on graduation day, 46 nursing students received their pins, which were worn on their robes that night.

The rigorous nursing program at USC Aiken includes realistic simulation laboratories, which challenge nursing students in a safe learning environment where manikens are patients. Thanks to generous donors, these "patients" include babies, toddlers, adolescents, men and women of all ages and stages of life and with myriad health "concerns," that are ever-changing as the lab director reprograms the manikens' symptoms.

In addition, the USC Aiken School of Nursing has longstanding partnerships with health care providers throughout the CSRA who work closely with the students in real-world environments.

"The faculty and staff in the school of nursing work diligently to prepare our students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in a rapidly changing society," said McGahee.

"Our nursing students are part of a caring and active learning environment that includes traditional classroom methods, hands-on lab experiences, high-fidelity simulation, and actual practice in a variety of healthcare settings. Through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service, we are committed to graduating students with the knowledge and competencies necessary to assume responsible positions in the delivery of health care."

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