The University of Wyoming Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing held the annual 2014 Nightingale Ceremony on Friday, September 5 in the UW Arts & Sciences Auditorium. The ceremony welcomed seventy new nursing students into the profession of nursing. The students, from the traditional Basic BSN program as well as the accelerated BRAND program, signed a pledge to uphold the standards and ethics of the nursing profession. But prior to the signing of the pledge, speakers stepped forth to explain the pledge and to give examples of the pledge employed in the workplace.
After a welcome from the School of Nursing by Dean Mary Burman, brief welcoming statements were given from the College of Health Sciences by Dean Joseph Steiner, and from the profession of nursing by the namesake of the UW School of Nursing, Fay Whitney. 2011 BRAND alumna Teresa Wright, RN, BSN, MPH, CHES, and the UW Student Nurses' Association President Amber Wright both spoke about the Nightingale Pledge and its application in students' studies and clinicals.
Also on the Nightingale Ceremony's agenda was the enjoyable task of giving credit to the clinical partners that work with the school to bring students state-of-the-art education in nursing. Awards were given to the Basic BSN and BRAND Community Partners of the Year, Premier Bone and Joint of Laramie and Campbell County Memorial Hospital of Gillette, respectively. Preceptors (nurses who mentor students in a variety of clinical settings) were also honored by both Basic BSN and BRAND programs. Those preceptors are Anne Wallace from North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley and Chase Ommen from Sage West in Lander.
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For many years, the UW Basic BSN Program has partnered with Premier Bone & Joint to educate future nurses. Their commitment to the education of students is continually growing. ...UW nursing faculty members praise this clinical agency for the staff’s enthusiasm, organization and commitment to excellence. ...Students are challenged to use their knowledge and skills in this supportive environment. Pictured from l-r: Gail Christensen, PBJC Director of Ambulatory Surgery Center; Holly Miller, UW Coordinator of Basic BSN Program; Donna Lambert and Kerry Bean, PBJC nurses. [Please click on the title for the full article.]
Campbell County Memorial Hospital is an integral partner in the implementation of the BRAND program. Students are welcomed in fall, spring and summer semesters to fulfill various clinical requirements. CCMH hosts students in every aspect of patient care, providing clinical experiences from newborn to end of life care and everything in between. Pictured from l-r: Candace Tull, UW Coordinator of BRAND Program; Sue Howard, CCMH Clinical Education Supervisor. [Please click on the title for the full article.]
The preceptor chosen from the Basic BSN student nominations is Anne Wallace. She works with the Ortho/Surgical/Medical/Neuro Unit for North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. Please click the title to read the full nomination text about Wallace.
The preceptor chosen from the BRAND student nominations is Chase Ommen. She works in the Women's Health Unit at Sage West in Lander, Wyoming. Please click the title to read the full nomination text about Ommen.
Each student comes forth to sign the Nightingale Pledge at the annual ceremony. After each class has completed signing, the respective pledge posters are framed and hung in the halls of the school during the class' tenure. Click on the title to read the pledge.