Thirty-seven new nurses celebrate entry into profession at NMCC pinning ceremony

    PRESQUE ISLE – The health care profession, which faces a shortage of workers at both the state and national level, welcomed 37 prospective new registered nurses recently as Northern Maine Community College held its annual pinning ceremony, which signifies the official entrance into the nursing field for members of the graduating class. These graduates are now eligible and prepared to sit for the NCLEX-RN examination to obtain licensure as registered nurses.
 Nearly 200 family members, friends and college personnel gathered for the ceremony held at the Family Christian Center in Presque Isle. The event was highlighted by the presentation of a pin to each graduate by relatives or close friends who were selected for their important role as members of the student nurse’s support network.
    “There is a tremendous crisis in this state with a shortage of care at the bedside,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley in his opening remarks to the graduates. “The role your faculty and the College community have prepared you to fill is one that will present many challenges. However, with those challenges come many rewards. When I think about nursing care, I reflect on the commitment those in the profession have for the patients they care for. As you go forth to work in the hospitals and other health care settings, remember your important role as advocates for your patients.”
    Crowley’s comments to the student nurses followed remarks by Betty Kent-Conant, chair of NMCC’s nursing and allied health department. Kent-Conant spoke on behalf of the faculty in congratulating and advising the county’s newest associate degree nurses.
    “I join the nursing faculty in congratulating these men and women in their success in reaching this point in their careers. They will do us proud as they join us as colleagues,” said Kent-Conant. “We will look forward to working beside them in the clinical settings, as preceptors for future nursing students, and as members within the wonderfully rewarding and special profession of nursing.”
    Keynote speaker for the event was Ralph Falvo, senior manager of surgical services at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. Falvo, who was drafted during the Vietnam War and served his country as a medic caring for wounded soldiers, spoke of his experiences in the nursing profession and encouraged the graduates to always strive for more.
    Senior nursing students from the Presque Isle campus who were recognized during the May 18 ceremony were: Judy A. Collins, Bridgewater; Kaitlyn M. Bossie, Mary T. Huston, and Jessica L. St. Peter, Caribou; Leane M. Saucier, Eagle Lake; Candyce L. Tyson, East Millinocket; Christopher J. Andrews, Easton; Libby E. Gardner, Fort Fairfield; Jennifer L. McGuire, Houlton; Debra L. Johnston and Terri R. McIntosh, Mapleton; Kelly J. Robichaud, Mars Hill; Linda J. Masse, New Canada; Sylvia K. Garey, Perham; Ellen M. Duplessis, Amy J. Jackson, Sarah C. Scott, Diane D. Shaw, Christine J. Torre, and Sonja M. Williams, Presque Isle; Jill M. Greenlaw, Smyrna; Leanne L. White, Smyrna Mills; Portia L. Anderson, Washburn; Erik A. St. Peter, Woodland; Krista D. Davenport, California Settlement, NB; Krista J. Watters, Mainstream, NB; and Amy J. Corbin, Plaster Rock, NB.
    Graduates completing NMCC’s nursing program in Washington County were recognized during a similar pinning ceremony in Calais May 20. Being welcomed to the nursing ranks during that ceremony were: Maureen T. Pike and Lee D. Seelye, Baileyville; Trudy E. Gillespie, Calais; Brenda L. Green, Eastport; Terri Kneeland, Janice M. Small, and Cindy L. Small, Perry; Terri D. Covey, Princeton; Alicea D. Earle, Lords Cove, NB; and Elaine C. Morley, St. Stephen, NB.