Address by Honored Speaker Susan Reeves
Thank you to the Class of 2008 for the invitation to be your honored speaker for this pinning ceremony.
As you heard, the pinning ceremony has deep, historical roots. It is one of the traditions in nursing that has persisted over the years, and one, I would venture, that all of the nurses in this room clearly recollect as one of the most meaningful days in their lives.
As a nurse, I have participated in many pinning ceremonies, two of my own. The first was on May 25 of 1980, when I graduated from the diploma program at the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. I was one of 32 student nurses pinned that day, which interestingly, is the same number of graduates on the stage right now.
We were dressed in starched our white uniforms and caps, which bore thick black stripes to signify that we had progressed to full-fledged nurses. I vividly remember the beauty of the day, the solemn ceremony, the proud parents, friends and faculty, and the nervous anticipation of the graduates as we contemplated starting our careers as nurses.
My second pinning was almost 20 years ago today, when I received my nursing pin and graduated from my baccalaureate program in nursing at Colby-Sawyer College. I am very excited to be welcoming you to join those of us that comprise the Colby-Sawyer nursing alumni.
I also understand that some of our graduating seniors have parents who participated in their own nursing pinning ceremonies within the last week. My congratulations to all of you as well.
Well, there is no shortage of topics one could choose to address a graduating group of nurses. I could speak about the challenging world of health care that awaits these nurses. I could talk about the global nursing shortage, and the resulting opportunities that the shortage presents.
We could explore the impact of rapidly advancing science and technology, and imagine some of the truly novel health-related breakthroughs that this group will experience during their career…..and how nursing will change as a result. We could talk about the importance of staying focused on the provision of humane, person-centered care in a health care system “gone wild.”
Indeed, there are many choices. But, what I really want to talk about today, is YOU.
Last week, we all enjoyed the tradition of the “Nursing Senior Dinner.” It is a time when the senior students and the nursing faculty offer lighthearted recollections of the four years we've spent together.
This year, the students offered a very clever retrospective story of their nursing school courses, complete with good natured roasts of their faculty. The faculty, in turn, had worked to give each senior an “award certificate,” which detailed a one-word “descriptor” that we all felt best described our sense of that student. Some were serious, some were humorous.
Let me share a few of the descriptors with you. One student's descriptor was “DETERMINED”, another, “PERSISTENT”, yet another, “PERSEVERANT.” Others included: “KINETIC, FRISKY, BRINKSMAN, GENUINE, COMPASSIONATE, BOLD and AMIABLE.” We even had students sporting the descriptors of “SASSY, SMOLDERING and SURVIVOR.”
It was great fun. And, it gave me the inspiration to try and describe the group as a whole. You see, in my experience, all groups that have been together for some time possess a unique personality….that is, characteristics, behaviors, attitudes and ways of being in the world. And this group is no different. I'd like to share some of the attributes of this group with you.
Now, when the first three descriptors turned out to be words that started with the letter “R,” I knew I was on to something. You see, nurses learn to give medicines by memorizing the five R's, also known as the five “rights.” That is to say, one needs to assure they have the right patient, the right medicine, the right dose, the right route and the right time. More recently, we've added the 6th R which stands for the right documentation.
So, I crafted a NEW five R's….those that describe this group. The first is R is for RESILIENT. To be resilient means that one can bounce or spring back into shape after being stretched; and to recover strength, spirit and good humor. YOU are CERTAINLY resilient.
This is the largest group of nursing graduates ever to graduate from Colby-Sawyer. They entered as a group of 60 first year students in 2004, and quickly experienced the challenges of fitting into a program that had been perfectly designed for an average of 10-12 nursing students. They learned a very valuable lesson, one that will absolutely follow them into their nursing career, and that is, that the ONLY constant in the health care environment today is...change.
This group experienced the rapid growth of the faculty….some who were new to teaching. They pioneered into new clinical education sites that had not previously had students. They tried on 12 hour shifts (which had not been done previously). They had classes in two sections because we couldn't fit them all in one room, and when we did squeeze in together, well, let's just say it was cozy.
As the college worked diligently to make the changes to address the needs of this larger student group, this group simply took the challenges in stride, determined to succeed. Complaints were rare, and spirits remained incredibly high. Resilience is a quality that enables nurses to engage or continue in situations in which others might not. This group has this quality by the bucket-load.
The second R is “REMARKABLE." For anyone who had heard the rumor that “collegiate nursing students are too busy with their studies to have a life”, I'd invite them to meet the Class of 2008. There is no one seated on the stage that was “just” a nursing student. We have lacrosse, soccer, tennis, skiing and even rugby athletes in the group. We have singers, dancers and actors.
We have academic tutors, clinical laboratory mentors, residence hall leaders, and student government participants. The Colby-Sawyer Class President for the last two years is on this stage. And, there are two who have full-time families that they care for. This is a group that is comfortable with multitasking and priority setting...again, important attributes for a practicing nurse.
The third R is “RESOLVED.” To be resolved is to be firm and fixed in purpose…determined, resolute and unwavering. I don't think this R needs much by way of explanation. Nursing education is rigorous. I know there have been times in which each of these women and men questioned whether it was all worth it……the long hours of study, the paper writing, the crack of dawn trips to clinical, the journaling.
This kind of program takes commitment. It also presents opportunities to both offer support to others, and opportunities to seek support. I've watched this group do both. I am encouraged by their camaraderie and their care for one another. For everyone here, there has been at least one time where they really had to reach down deep to find the courage, strength and resolve to continue……this quality will continue to serve you well.
The fourth R is “REFLECTIVE.” Being reflective is the quality of being meditative and thoughtful. For nurses, reflection is an important skill, because reflection enables us to think about our strengths and our weakness, our skills and our abilities, all with an eye towards improvement……being better at what we do. It helps us to process a bad day, or a good day and learn.
For the last four months, this group has been asked to be reflective via the use of a journal that a few of the faculty, including me, had the privilege to read. The power of these reflections is impossible to adequately capture in these brief remarks. But THESE nurses think deeply about issues that confront them...issues such as mortality, inter and intra-professional conflict, fears and anxieties about beginning practice, and the challenges they face in meeting Standard 5 of the nursing code of ethics….how to care for one's self.
Many nurses call upon their strong liberal arts education from Colby-Sawyer in their journaling, and look to literature, art, history and other disciplines to assist with sense making. Their writing is deeply personal…..at times, raw and beautiful in its honesty. It is through their writing, that I find myself keenly confident and optimistic about this newest generation of nurses. They are poised to serve with competence and compassion.
The last R is “READY.” You ARE ready...prepared and equipped to act, unhesitant and skillful. I have watched you since you entered Colby-Sawyer in 2004. I remember teaching “Introduction to Nursing” to many of you, promising you that by the time you left Colby-Sawyer, you would “think like a nurse”. Back then, you didn't really know what that meant…and now, you are all doing it. In every interaction, every care plan, every paper and every exam, you've shown that you are ready.
Resilient, Remarkable, Resolved, Reflective, Ready.
Your attributes, your talents, your personality as a group.
In closing, I'd like to ask us all to take a few moments, and celebrate what I'll term, “Thanksgiving in May.” On this special occasion of pinning, I think it is worth taking time to reflect on our many blessings, and to be intentional in saying some important “thank-you's.”
First, thank you family and friends of these nursing students. You have been an enduring source of love, support and encouragement for these women and men during their journey at Colby-Sawyer. It might interest you to know that many of you are prominently featured in the student's journals, all as sources of strength, and some, as people the student want most to emulate in their professional lives. What a tremendous tribute.
Next, thank you faculty. What an amazing group of people you are...dedicated, hard-working, also resilient, always rooting for the students to succeed, being tough when necessary, being supportive… always.
Thank you clinical agencies. Literally hundreds of people over dozens of clinical facilities have come together over time to provide the time, expertise, equipment and resources to enable your education. To have access to a world-class medical center and other exceptionally high quality, award winning clinical facilities, all while enjoying the intimacy and beauty of a small-town, rural college setting is quite special.
Thank you Colby-Sawyer College, for being the backbone on which this nursing program relies. The college's willingness to grow and do whatever it took to provide these students a quality educational experience was exceptional.
Finally, thank you Colby-Sawyer graduating nurses, for the legacy you leave behind, and for all of the outstanding contributions that you are poised to make in the future. We are so proud of you.
And, thank you, again, for asking me to be your honored speaker.
Susan Reeves, B.S.N., M.S., is chair of the Colby-Sawyer College Nursing Department and assistant professor of nursing.
