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The Practical Nursing graduates
(photo by Mark Delaney)
AVON PARK, Fla. – July 30, 2024 – South Florida State College (SFSC) graduated 19 Practical Nursing (PN) program students in a traditional pinning ceremony on Monday, July 29 in the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Highlands Campus at SFSC in Avon Park.
The graduates are Stephanie Belmares, Coby Bryant, Guadalupe Diaz, Liyah Donkor, Jan Eason, Sydney Gandy, Victoria Huerta, Layla Langfeldt, Michael Lopez Rivera, Aitza Lopez-Aguiluz, Diamond Machado, Itzel Magana-Navarrete, Jenivette Ortiz Quintero, Isabella Rivero, Paola Rosa Medina, Ariana Rose, Sandra Ruiz-Vasquez, Alexandra Solis, and Sandra Sorto Chavez.
Each year, PN graduates award the Golden D.U.C.K. to someone or an organization that has served as a mentor to the students in the program. The D.U.C.K. acronym represents the foundational elements of the mentoring arrangement: Developing, Understanding, Compassion, and Knowledge. Presenting the award to The Ridge Area ARC, was Class Secretary Isabella Rivero, who said, “We are honored to present this award to a special organization, whose mission reflects ‘serving and advocating for individuals with developmental and other disabilities so they may have the opportunity to choose and realize their goals.’ This organization’s commitment to service and education has made a positive impact on countless lives. We thank you for your unwavering dedication and inspiring efforts and providing such a positive clinical experience for the [SFSC] Practical Nursing students.”
The practice of pinning new graduates has been a nursing school tradition in the United States since 1916 and, symbolically, welcomes each graduate into the nursing profession. The pin is worn prominently on a nurse’s uniform throughout their career. One story of the ceremony’s beginning goes back to 1883, when Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightingale the Royal Red Cross on St. George’s Day for her service to the sick and injured during the Crimean War. In turn, Nightingale later extended the honor to her outstanding nursing students by presenting them with a medal of excellence.
Graduates of the 11-month Career Certificate PN program become licensed practical nurses (LPN) by passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) exam. SFSC Nursing graduates are usually fully employed in nursing within a few months of graduation.
SFSC offers an Associate in Science degree in Nursing (ADN) program for students interested in becoming registered nurses in three formats: a two-year Generic-RN program, a two-year Evening/Weekend RN program, and a one-year Transition-LPN to RN program. The College also offers a fully online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.
For information about SFSC’s Nursing programs, contact Danielle Ochoa, Health Sciences advisor at 863-784-7027 or by email at healthsciences@southflorida.edu.
