On Friday, May 6, which is recognized as National Nurses Day, 45 Kent State University at Stark bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN) graduates will officially begin their professional careers as nurses. Their achievement will be honored at the campus’s annual Nursing Pinning Ceremony, at 2:30 p.m. in First Christian Church, 6900 Market Avenue in North Canton.
National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
The pinning ceremony rite of passage, signifying the transition from nursing student to professional, has been a tradition for 130 years. This is the third year that Kent State Stark has offered its BSN graduates their own ceremony. As the need for Ohio health care workers grows, so does the Stark Campus’ nursing program, now accepting 50 sophomores annually. Graduates of this intensive program appreciate the opportunity to celebrate with their families, as well as the faculty and peers that they have spent the past four years learning from and with.
According to Assistant Professor of Nursing Kathryn Cartechine, the Kent State Stark nursing program, which attracts strong, qualified students, is evidence of the campus’s commitment to the nursing industry. The program provides diverse clinical experiences in Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. From smaller health care agencies and hospitals to larger medical centers, students learn how to “care for many different types of patients without leaving our community, where many will later work,” she says.
Kent State Stark’s commencement ceremonies are ticketed events. Representatives of the media are welcome upon request. For more information, please contact Cynthia Williams at 330-244-3262 or cdwillia@kent.edu.