PIQUA — Edison State Community College honored 41 recent nursing graduates on May 8 with a pinning ceremony held in a gymnasium filled with family and friends.

The pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition in which the College presents graduate nurses to family and friends as a professional about to practice nursing. Faculty members who have worked with students throughout their studies have the honor of pinning the graduates. Each school has a unique pin, which serves as a symbol of the successful completion of a rigorous curriculum that prepares graduates to administer to the sick and injured and promote health through the practice of nursing.

“I want to express how proud I am of our nursing students,” said Edison State President Chris Spradlin. “I’m able to interact with many of the leaders of our health care organizations, hospitals, and doctors’ offices. Every single time they give me the feedback that Edison State nursing graduates are their very best employees. It really impresses upon me that these employers recognize the excellence of our graduates. That’s thanks to the hard work of our students and faculty.”

Guest speaker Sherri Colby, MSN, graduated from Edison State’s nursing program in 1982 as part of the College’s first graduating class of registered nurses. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bluffton University in 1990 and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2006. Colby served as a nurse until she retired from Upper Valley Medical Center in 2021 and mentored at least 300 students during her career. In 2022, she joined Edison State as an adjunct faculty member.

“Congratulations to all here tonight,” said Colby. “You have achieved something many only dream of. You and your families have studied together, practiced your physical skills together, cheered, cried, endured, sacrificed, and plowed through. Tonight, you’re harvesting that dream.”

Colby encouraged graduates to be true to themselves, do right for their patients, show compassion, and practice lifelong learning.

“You will share in your patients’ heartaches, joys, and triumphs. When they walk out the door to go home, it is the greatest feeling you can share with them,” Colby said.

She also stressed the importance of finding work-life balance. “Not only do nurses need to care for their patients, but they need to care for themselves. You have to be not only physically but mentally healthy to effectively care for someone else.”

Following the successful completion of the nursing program, graduates will prepare to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become registered nurses (RNs).

Edison State’s nursing program has maintained full accreditation and approval throughout its history. In 2018, the Ohio Board of Nursing granted Edison State’s Associate of Nursing a full five-year approval. In 2019, the program earned an eight-year continued accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the highest level a program can receive. Edison State received approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in 2024 to begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, allowing RNs to pursue further education at the College.

Edison State’s Registered Nursing program will accept applications from June 15 to July 31, 2024, for the spring 2025 semester. For more information about the program, visit www.edisonohio.edu/programs.

Edison State is proud to recognize the following nursing graduates from the Darke County area:

Greenville – Bailey Bennett, Gianna Bixler, Shannon Myers, and Amanda Unger

Arcanum – Rachael Brandenburg

Eldorado – Harlie Favorite

Rossburg – Samantha Jay

Ansonia – Taylor Midlam

West Manchester – Kelsey Patrum