In the presence of family, friends and faculty, 32 members of the Graduate Entry Pathway (GEP) Classes of 2014 and 2015 in the Graduate School of Nursing were honored in a tradition that signifies their readiness to become registered nurses. The GEP Pinning Ceremony kicked off Convocation Week 2012 at UMass Chan on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m.
This year’s pinning, the GSN’s eighth, included the first five members of the GEP’s newest component, the GEP to DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) Pathway.
The GEP was established by the GSN in 2004 to address the growing nursing workforce shortage by giving entrance into the profession to individuals with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than nursing. Students first become registered nurses after one year of accelerated coursework, and then continue graduate study to earn master’s or doctoral degrees that qualify them to become nurse practitioners, nurse educators and nursing executives.
Presented upon completion of a whirlwind 15 months of hands-on learning coupled with rigorous academics, the custom-designed pin each GEP student received symbolizes professional achievement and personal pride. Several GEP students also received awards for distinguished performance. Stephanie Connors was recognized for academic excellence; Molly Moulton and Holly Shumard for clinical excellence; Alexander Menard for embodying the spirit of nursing; and Susan Hernandezfor outstanding community engagement.
The ceremony concluded with the class’s recitation of a nursing pledge, adapted from the one originally created for Florence Nightingale, which is based on the Hippocratic Oath. The event proved to be emotional and meaningful—even for the children in the audience who sat quietly as the rituals of pinning and oath-taking unfolded before them.
“We love to see children at the pinning because GEP students’ entire families support them in their journeys,” said Eileen Terrill, PhD, associate professor of nursing and director of the GEP Program. “Perhaps the experience will influence some of them to someday, like many GEP students before them, follow in their family members’ footsteps and become the next generation of advanced practice nurses.”
Dr. Terrill underscored the influence of family involvement when she asked the nurses in the audience to stand and be recognized. Seven of them were family members of students, including the mother of class speaker Kristin Hennessy. In addition to her mother, Hennessy gave shout outs to all students’ family members, and to the entire GSN faculty, which includes a newly minted GEP alumnus. After sharing reflections on the past year from several classmates as well as her own, Hennessy closed by exhorting her classmates to puff out their chests and pat themselves on the back. “We’re nurses now!” she declared.
Graduate Entry Pathway Class of 2014
Monica R. Andrade
Cassandra Carlson
Terrance Clarke
Nicole Coggins
Lindsey Comer
Stephanie D. Connors
Kathleen Cooney
Rachel M. Diamondstone
Sarah C. Gulla
Julia E. Hankin
Christina Hanzis
