Soon-to-be nursing graduates from the MGH Institute’s nursing program are now one step closer to working in the profession. 

The ABSN class held its pinning ceremony on Friday in 1 CW, where 56 students from eight states and six countries received their pins. Also notable was the pinning of three employees from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital – Rachel Vargas, Jennifer Dudley and Rali Ivanova. They are the first students to complete the pilot program that allows employees at the hospital to get their nursing degrees through the MGH Institute.

Because of the high levels of flu in the area, masks were mandatory during the event. 

After welcoming graduates, family and friends, Dean Maura Abbott said it “is the privilege of a lifetime to be called a nurse.”

Deborah Blyth-Wilk, Assistant Dean for Prelicensure Programs, said receiving the pin was a symbol of trust, responsibility and compassion. 

“The future of healthcare depends not only on science and technology and AI, it depends on you, the human touch, on your integrity, your voice, your presence at the bedside and in the boardroom, as a nurse and as a nurse leader,” Blyth-Wilk told the graduates. “There will be hard days, but there will also be moments of deep connection - when you advocate for a frightened patient, comfort a grieving family, or mentor a colleague… Wear your pin with pride. It is more than a tradition. It is a commitment to excellence, empathy and equity in all that you do.” 

The student address was given by Emmanuella Joseph.

Instructor Julika Wocial shared childhood photos of the graduates and talked about the careers they aspired to: doctors, singer, gymnasts, dancers, sports enthusiasts, and an ice cream truck owner. Only one wanted to become a nurse. 

“These are the individuals who are sitting here with us today who… will soon be caring for patients in emergency rooms, on medical surgical units, in intensive care units, procedural areas, pediatric wards, community clinics, labor and delivery rooms and primary care offices.”

Wocial asked the soon-to-be nurses to think about this very scenario in determining what kind of nurse they want to be. 

“Imagine a patient waking up alone in a dark hospital room in the middle of the night, they are cold and in pain that feels constant and overwhelming. Their mouth is so dry they cannot swallow or move their tongue, and the thirst feels unbearable. They do not know where they are or why they are here. Panic sets in as they realize no one is with them. They try to call for help, but their voice is so weak that only a whisper comes out, and it goes unanswered. Tears start to fall, not only because of the pain, but because they are afraid. 

“No one knows they are struggling. They try to move, but the pain is immediate and crushing, forcing them to stop so they lay there in the darkness, in pain by themselves, helpless and waiting, hoping someone will come. Down the hall at the nurse's station, it's bright and busy. The unit feels calm. There are no alarms. Nurses are chatting, talking quietly, scrolling through photos of recent trips and admiring their freshly done nails. 

“But one nurse pauses, not because an alarm goes off, but because they notice a subtle change in one of the patient's monitors, a heart rate a little higher than before, breathing slightly faster, still within normal limits. Easy to dismiss. This is the moment when you come in as a nurse, the moment when nothing is wrong, but something is not right, the moment when clinical judgment and empathy matter more than the monitor and the numbers. 

“One day soon, you will be the nurse who decides whether to stay seated or to stand up and check on that patient, and when that day comes, ask yourself this: “If that patient were someone you love, or if it were you, what would you hope the nurse would do?”

The following awards were given out: 

Faculty and Student Recognition for Outstanding Leadership

Madalyn Jorge & Sabrina M. Branco

 

Faculty Recognition for Academic/Clinical Excellence

Miraf D. Kebede

 

Wetherill Award

Quinn Triona Dolan

 

The Loyd Nichols Staats Scholarship (PRESENTED BY Sheila Burke, RN, MS, MGH Class of ’81)

Jadialis Dinitto

 

Quinn Award for Social Justice in Nursing

Emmanuella Joseph

 

Rose Marie Scalora Marasco Scholarship

Emma Nicole Hazelhoff