***Go To Obermeyer Home Page***
"On Pins and Needles"
by
Toni Thress, RNC, MSN
(used by permission)
I would like to begin by first thanking the graduating class for providing me with the privilege of speaking at perhaps the most special occasion in the life of a nurse--the pinning ceremony. To have been chosen by you for this most coveted honor is truly humbling for me. I also know that the graduates want to join me in thanking Dr. Vitelli, Mr. Pershal, the Board of Trustees, Patricia Bayles, all of the faculty and staff of Butler County Community College, and the taxpayers of Butler County for providing them with a stimulating yet nurturing environment in which you have been allowed to mature and grow during the course of your nursing education.
The topic of my speech this evening is "On Pins and Needles." Let me begin by admitting that I, like many other student nurses, had an intense phobia of needles, but this fear was surpassed only by the fantasy of one day receiving my nursing pin. And throughout my education, there were many days (especially on tests) I was sitting on pins and needles until the grades were posted. And upon graduation, facing the task of taking state boards had me hyperventilating so that my hands and feet felt like I was being stuck with pins and needles. But for nurses today, both pins and needles are a very real part of entering and enduring in the profession of nursing.
In December's issue of RN magazine, Dr. Susan Opas, a professor at UCLA's School of Nursing in Los Angeles, provides rich historical information regarding the history of the nursing pin and the pinning ceremony. Dr. Opas reports that the earliest badges given to those who tended the sick were presented to members of the Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist, a religious order who tended to the ill and wounded Crusaders in the 12th Century. During the ceremony in which each knight took the monastic vow to become "the serf and the slave" of their lords, the sick, he was presented with a Maltese cross which was worn on their black habit draped over their armor.
The tradition of the nursing pin and the ceremonial pinning originated in the 1860's at the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Having been recently awarded The Red Cross of St. George for her selfless service to the injured and dying in the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale chose to extend the honor to her most outstanding graduate nurses by presenting each of them with a medal for excellence.
It was the Wolverton Royal Hospital School in England that initiated the tradition of presenting all graduates with a badge. The first pin was awarded to the graduating class of 1880 of the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City. The pin presented to each of the graduates was both beautiful and symbolic. It featured a crane in the center for vigilance, encircled with a band of blue for constancy, and an outer band of red for mercy and relief of suffering. Dr. Opas reports that by 1916 the practice of pinning new nursing graduates was common in schools throughout the United Kingdom and North America.
For some, both within the nursing profession and the public, view the pinning ceremony as an outdated ritual. Some schools have already abandoned the pinning ceremony, and many others are considering doing so. But I, like so many of my colleagues, perceive this lovely tradition as a very meaningful and important rite-of-passage into the profession of nursing.
The nursing pin has been both literally and symbolically a cross to bear, a medal and a badge. And the pins of today still to me represent each of these precursors. Nursing is a cross to bear for those of us who remain with the patient long after others have given up hope and gone home. Nurses never forget about their patients; even when they are not caring for them physically, they remain in their thoughts. Remembering always that they are caring for someone's mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter, and that these people are counting on them to do for their loved one what they themselves cannot do. And there are those times when, in spite of all of our technology and care, that a patient does not survive and we must admit defeat and yield to death. At times this emotional burden truly seems unbearable, but we understand it is part of both the pain and the privilege of being a nurse.
The nursing pin remains a symbolic medal of honor. Nurses honor both the miracle of life and the finality of death. They respect and honor an individual's right to enter into life safely and to die with dignity. They also honor their patient's right to continue or refuse medical care even when they personally disagree with the decision.
The nursing pin is also a badge of courage. Nurses are courageous in caring for those patients that would otherwise be ignored or exiled by society. This courage was recently exemplified by a brave team of doctors and nurses caring for a pregnant woman and her unborn child at Wesley Medical Center. The woman is both HIV and Hepatitis C positive and had received no treatment at the time of her admission to the labor and delivery unit. After a thorough evaluation, it was decided that it was medically necessary that she be delivered by Cesarean section. The medical and nursing staff armed themselves as well as possible and courageously stepped up to the field. Tragically, the scrub nurse was accidentally cur on the arm with the surgical blade during the procedure. She remained calm and maintained her composure while in the patient's presence, but broke down outside the surgical suite. She understands the grave implications this incident will have on her life but is determined to remain dedicated to her job, her patients and to the nursing profession. Everyday nurses do battle on the front lines, fighting death and disease, but do so with courage and commitment. Contaminated needles are but just one of the many bullets they must dodge in carrying out their duties on a daily basis. They, like so many other professionals in public service, put their own lives in peril to save the life of another.
The pinning ceremony is, therefore, so much more than an event to mark the completion of nursing school. It is a beautiful rite-of-passage into the profession and, as Dr. Opas writes, "a reminder to all of us of nursing's well-founded historic promise to serve the infirmed."
The Butler County Community College nursing pin is symbolic of the attributes of our nursing graduates. At the top of the pin is the word veritas, which is Latin for "truth." Always remember to be true to yourselves, your patients, and to the profession of nursing.
Also engraved on the pin is a lamp that represents "knowledge." Use the knowledge you have acquired during your education at Butler County, and share your knowledge with others. The lamp is also symbolic of the light or enlightenment that accompanies knowledge. Use your knowledge to light the path for those who will be following you. Stay involved in the Butler County Community College Alumni Association, mentor a student or new graduate, and join the professional nursing organizations. By sharing what you know with others, you enlighten their lives and careers.
Embossed on the pin is a grizzly bear that is the mascot of Butler County Community College, but to me it also represents strength, power, and protectiveness. For like many other animals, the grizzly bear will die defending their young--the same could be said for nurses who sacrifice so much for the care and protection of their patients.
Upon examining your nursing pin, you will also see a stalk of wheat. When looking at a single stalk, one does not see much; but to gaze upon an entire field one sees so much more. Watching a field of wheat waving in the wind allows you to see how flexible yet sturdy it is. One also grasps the concept that when the crop matures, it will eventually be the bread of life and feed many. Appreciate the symbolism of the wheat stalk, for it represents both the need to remain flexible--especially during stormy times--and the strength in collaboration and collective effort. Finally, remember that age and maturity are important, and it is at this time that your fellow nurses and patients are in their prime and have the most to offer the rest of us, if we will only spend time harvesting their wisdom.
Finally, the last engraving on your pin is of an oil refinery. Be ever mindful not to judge others by what you can or cannot see on the surface. Understand that the true wealth of an individual lies deep within, and it may be your kindness, caring and compassion that will tap into the riches of their soul. Be willing to spend the time refining your skills and techniques, appreciating that at one time we were all a little crude when we first began practicing nursing.
Encircling these engravings is a band of purple, a color that signifies valor and nobleness. It is the color purple that adorns the medal awarded to those who show uncommon bravery and courage. Each of you have already demonstrated these attributes during your tenure at Butler County and will continue to do so throughout your nursing career.
Tonight, as you each receive your nursing pin, be ever mindful of those who have so courageously gone before you and those who will stoically serve with you in the profession of nursing. Always wear you pin with pride. Let it serve as a constant reminder not only to yourselves but to your patients of your desire, dedication and the commitment you have made to serve others. It is truly both a medal of honor and a badge of courage.
In closing, I want to thank you again for allowing me to participate in this very special occasion and moment of your life.
On behalf of all of the faculty and staff at Butler County Community College, I want to express to each of you our sincere congratulations and best wishes for your future in nursing.
Thank you.
***Go To Obermeyer Home Page***
***Top of This Page***