(HARLINGEN, Texas) – This week, Texas State Technical College celebrated a cohort of nursing students who passed the National Council Licensure Examination with a success rate of 96 percent at its traditional nursing pinning ceremony. The milestone is particularly special because the passing percentage with the Board of Nursing is 80 percent, which puts TSTC well above average of most other colleges and universities
This particular group of students was at the forefront of adjustments made by TSTC because of the coronavirus, something that Associate Provost Jean Lashbrook said adds even more meaning to their accomplishment.
“They have definitely stepped up to the plate, and quickly,” she said. “This group started in the fall of 2019 and completed their program at the end of summer 2020. They started the program with face-to-face classes and then had to quickly move to online learning with minimal face-to-face conversations with instructors, and the inability to be at the clinical sites due to the coronavirus.”
Program director Shirley Byrd acknowledged that both faculty and students being able to adjust so rapidly to the new methods of learning is something to be proud of.
“These students need to be recognized for the hardships they endured,” she said. “They came into the program with an excellent attitude and a gung-ho spirit to accomplish their goal of becoming registered nurses. They were already familiar with being able to interact with faculty on a daily basis, and all of a sudden, because of the pandemic, that was gone.”
The pinning ceremony, which became a tradition in the U.S. around 1916, was started by Florence Nightingale on her quest to honor nurses for their dedicated and selfless service.
“The pin identifies them as nurses,” Byrd said. “It bears testimony to their education.”
Lashbrook added that the ceremony is a well-deserved send-off into the field of nursing.
“Pinning is a rite of passage, so to speak,” she said. “It is presented to the new graduate as a symbol that welcomes them to the profession of nursing.”
Byrd said that the instructors of the program are incredibly proud of this cohort, and she even had a few parting words.
“Continue the dedication you showed in the program to your patients,” she said. “Show everybody what excellent nurses you have become. The world is yours.”
To learn more about TSTC’s Nursing program, visit https://www.tstc.edu/programs/Nursing.
