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their hands dedicated and cite the nursing pledge signifying the acceptance of the role of student nurse. At the end of the academic journey is the Pinning Ceremony. The pinning ceremony dates back to the time of the founder of Nursing, Florence Nightingale, who was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in the 1860s for her tireless work during the Crimean War. To share this honor, Florence Nightingale then presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates. Soon, the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London designed and awarded a badge with a Maltese Cross to all nurses as they completed their program. Nurses who graduated from the Nightingale School of Nursing bequeathed their school pins back to St. Thomas Hospital and are to this day displayed in the Florence Nightingale wing of the hospital. The pinning ceremony is the graduation of the School of Nursing and a highlight of the academic year just prior to the university graduation. Graduation is the final ceremony signifying the full completion of the bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing and preparing students to enter practice after successfully passing the licensure exam!
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