Graduate Tiesha Cliatt of Moultrie receives the Clinical Excellence Award during SRTC-Thomasville’s drive-through pinning ceremony.

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Recently, Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) held an outdoor pinning ceremony honoring the most recent class of Practical Nursing (PN) students from SRTC – Thomasville. The ceremony commemorates the students’ successful completion of their nursing coursework and clinical rotations. 

The students receiving pins were:  Walter Abbott of Cairo, Junnesha Cason of Thomasville, Tiesha Claitt of Moultrie, Kaylyn Darwin of Thomasville, Amberly Fort of Cairo, Taylor Gay of Moultrie, Christy Harris of Thomasville, Caleb Healey of Quitman, Katrissisa Holland of Thomasville, Kelly Jones of Cairo, Veronica Jones of Thomasville, Jasmin Kelsey of Moultrie, Jamine Linder of Moultrie, Areli Ponce-Gonzalez of Cairo, Deirdre Schumacher of Ochlocknee, Callie Scully of Thomasville, Christian Scully of Thomasville, David Thomas of Hartsfield, Maresha Williams of Monticello, FL, Melinda Wilson of Moultrie, and Stephanie Zickefoose of Lucowici, Ga.

The Leadership Award, given to the student who presents outstanding leadership qualities, was presented to Deirdre Schumacher. The Clinical Excellence Award honors students who have shown exceptional professionalism and technical excellence during their clinical rotations. The Clinical Excellence Award was presented to Tiesha Claitt.

“We are very proud of this group of graduating Practical Nurses.  They persevered through a unique set of circumstances.  When the pandemic changed the learning environment, these students transitioned extremely well to an online environment.  We held our classes online through WebEx and students even gave presentations online to their classmates.  We teach our students that as nurses, they must be able to assess the situation and adapt quickly—these students did just that.  Many of our students are parents, and not only did they manage their education but also taught their children.  Most of our students work and often had to work extra hours because of the strain on the healthcare system.  Congratulations to all our Practice Nursing graduates,” commented Practical Nursing Instructor Debra Smith.

The pinning ceremony is a rite of passage into the nursing profession, during which each student received a pin and a small lamp, according to a press release from Southern Regional Technical College. The pin is used to remind students of their purpose to serve the sick and infirm. The lamp portion of the ceremony serves as a tribute to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing. In the 1800s Nightingale was known as the “lady with the lamp” tending to the sick while carrying a lamp to light the way. This semester, the ceremony was moved to an outdoor setting.  

The Practical Nursing program is a five-semester diploma program designed to prepare students to write the NCLEX-PN for licensure as practical nurses, SRTC said. The program prepares graduates to give competent nursing care. This is done through a selected number of academic and occupational courses providing a variety of techniques and materials necessary to assist the student in acquiring the needed knowledge and skills to give competent care. A variety of clinical experiences is planned so that theory and practice are integrated under the guidance of the clinical instructor. For more information about SRTC’s Practical Nursing Program, call 888-205-3449.