By Jess Marvin
The pinning ceremony signifies an important milestone in the lives of nursing graduates as they prepare to transition from undergraduate students 
to nursing professionals. On December 10th, 39 graduates from the NSC’s School of Nursing took part in this tradition by being honored at the institution’s pinning ceremony at the Dragon Ridge Country Club in Henderson.
This is such a momentous occasion in your lives, and we congratulate you, said NSC President Dr. Lesley Di Mare. Your contributions in nursing will make a positive difference on a state and local level, as well as on a personal level with all of the lives that you will surely impact throughout your career, she continued.
Pinning ceremonies are a time-honored tradition in the nursing field. Reflecting back upon her personal pinning ceremony years ago, Dean of Nursing Dr. Shirlee Snyder shared with the graduates, my nursing pin means as much to me today as it did on the day I received it. This is an important nursing tradition you are partaking in today. The tradition at NSC carries extra meaning because the nursing pins presented at the ceremony were designed by an NSC alumnus. During the ceremony, graduates were pinned by a family member, friend, or NSC faculty member.
The ceremony welcomed special guest speaker Dr. Roseann Colosimo, an education consultant for the Nevada State Board of Nursing, who imparted sage wisdom upon the soon-to-be nurses. It takes a lot of courage to be a nurse, and we will need your leadership, she said. Dr. Colosimo added, you are graduating from the best nursing program in the state, with an astounding faculty and staff that have helped bring you to this special day. We are all thrilled that you have chosen the nursing profession.
Following graduation, students must next pass their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in order to become licensed registered nurses. The NCLEX-RN exams are administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. NSC’s nursing program graduates pass the demanding NCLEX-RN at a remarkable 95% rate, with 85% of graduates remaining in Nevada to work as nurses.
Graduating from a successful and competitive nursing program has opened several doors of opportunity to the Class of 2010. Looking forward to their bright futures, student speaker Kelly Evans shared, we have learned so much over the past two years and we’ve gained the confidence to move forward in our lives and careers.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Dean Snyder recalled the memorable experiences the nursing profession has brought about in her life. Nursing has provided so many opportunities that I couldn’t have imagined, and I wish the same for all of you here on this momentous day in your lives.
Month:
Biology Students Partake in Unprecedented training with Biotech Industry Leader
By Jess Marvin
Students from Nevada State College and UNLV will have the unprecedented opportunity to participate in a training workshop through Beckman Coulter, the industry leader in capillary electrophoresis technology, a company producing biomedical laboratory equipment. Upon successful completion of the 4-day training, which will take place December 13-16th, twenty-eight students from NSC and two students from UNLV will be awarded a Beckman Coulter certificate of training completion in the use of their PA800 capillary electrophoresis instrument.
Capillary electrophoresis provides a high-resolution molecular fingerprint that is regarded by FDA as an essential diagnostic validation method. Every major pharmaceutical company seeking FDA approval must document their development process with capillary electrophoresis profiles. As a result, individuals with experience using capillary electrophoresis equipment are sought out by biotechnology companies. Many job opportunities at the top biotechnology companies throughout the world will be open for these students as a direct result of this training, said Dr. Andy Kuniyuki, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In this job market, our students will have a competitive edge with their proficiency on this equipment, he continued.
Upper division Biology students plus those close to graduating were given first preference to fill the 30 available seats. NSC and Beckman Coulter will be conducting this training twice per year, once in the winter break and once in the beginning of summer before the summer sessions. Throughout the duration of the six-year grant, 360 students will be trained on the Beckman Coulter PA800 equipment.
This educational training effort is made possible through support from the NSC portion of the Nevada INBRE grant and in collaboration with Beckman Coulter.
To learn more about the Capillary Electrophoresis workshop, please visit https://nsc.edu/BannerSPIFF/6043.asp.
