Jacob Brinson, of Moultrie, receives of the John. D. Archbold Award for Leadership and Achievement.  

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) held a drive through pinning ceremony during which 23 Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) students received their nursing pins. 

The ceremony commemorates the students’ successful completion of their nursing coursework and clinical rotations, according to a press release from SRTC. This class of nursing students is also invited to participate in SRTC’s formal graduation ceremony on Dec. 1, and will officially be Registered Nurses (RN) pending the passage of their board exams. These prospective nurses represent the generic nursing program of the Thomasville campus of Southern Regional Technical College.  

The students receiving pins were: Cynthia Baisden, Jacob Brinson, Sara Brown, Rebecca Davidson, Lasonda Davis, Hannah Dunn, Casandra Ellis, Ashlin Kent, and Torrie Perry, all of Moultrie; Arnold Hoyt Buckner IV of Pelham; Jamey Carnline of Meigs; Sarah Creager of Pavo; Shontrell Davis and Takeria Walker of Tallahasse; Amy Dollar of Cairo; Kelsey Donaldson and Roselynn Garcia of Norman Park; Zachary Eason of Monticello; Courtney Faborito of Lakeland; Jasmine Granger of Valdosta; Johnna Jowers of Boston; and Dawn Marie Nahlen of Camilla. 

During the pinning ceremony, which symbolizes the rite of passage into the nursing profession, students received a pin and a small lamp from the safety of their vehicle. The pin reminds students of their purpose to serve the sick and infirm.  The lamp serves as a tribute to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing. In the 19th century, Nightingale was known as the “Lady with the Lamp,” tending to the sick while carrying a lamp to light the way. 

“This group of students handled the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic beautifully.  They quickly adjusted to the online classroom environment and finished the remainder of the clinical coursework with Virtual Patient Simulation (vSims).  All of these graduates have accepted nursing positions, and I am so very proud of them,” commented Terry Harper, MSN, Associate of Science Nursing instructor.

At the ceremony, faculty members recognized several students for exceptional achievement during their time in the nursing program. Those awards and their recipients are as follows: Sarah Creagar earned the Highest Exit Exam Award with a score of 1274 (99.9%). The Clinical Excellence Award was given to Cynthia Baisden. The Archbold Leadership Award was given to Jacob Brinson. Finally, the Nightingale Award recognized the accomplishments of Shontrell Davis.

The Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program is designed to prepare students as entry-level practitioners to provide safe, effective nursing care and promote healthy transitions for diverse clients in a variety of settings, SRTC said. This program develops critical thinking, integrates accumulated knowledge from nursing, the sciences and humanities, and emphasizes the values of caring, accountability, responsibility and professional ethics. The SRTC ASN program has been granted approval by the Georgia Board of Nursing and is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).