May 2018 Pinning Ceremony - Remarks from Senior Class President, Class Speaker
Caroline Cunningham, president of the May Class of 2018:
Good morning and welcome to the University of Kentucky College of Nursing pinning ceremony. My name is Caroline Cunningham, and I am the class president for the May 2018 graduates on stage behind me. On behalf of our class, I would like thank everyone for coming to celebrate with us this morning. To our families, friends, faculty, and nursing mentors who have encouraged and supported us throughout this four-year journey of nursing school: thank you. We made it to this stage today because of you.
I would also like to recognize my fellow class officers and our class advisor:
Vice President: Sara Ferriell
Secretary: Abby Ephlin
Treasurer: Mackenzie Pierce
Undergraduate Activities and Advisory Council Representative: Maddie Rose
Second Degree Representative: Ashley Fox
Med Vet Representative: Matthew Eubank
Class Advisor: Professor Jennifer Cowley
As a class, we fully represent both parts of nursing—science and heart. We are the first class to have 100 admitted students, and we received the second highest average Exit HESI score in UK’s College of Nursing history; this national exam indicates NCLEX preparedness. Our extracurricular accomplishments include minors, the honors program, ROTC, athletics, nursing and service organizations, summer externships, research internships, and peer tutoring.
We also understand the importance of working together as a team. This meant carpooling to clinicals, late night study sessions in the lounge, group presentations and peer critiques, and a lot of coffee breaks. To de-stress and have fun outside the classroom, we hosted Friendsgiving celebrations in November, arranged for group yoga classes in the lab, and posted nursing jokes to our Facebook page on a weekly basis.
Beyond academic achievements, I am most proud of my classmates’ heart for patients. I have seen classmates cry with patients through difficult circumstances and celebrate with patients in their victories. Some classmates volunteered spring break or summer time to set up health clinics in Ecuador with Shoulder To Shoulder; others spent the weekend in Appalachia teaching the importance of oral hygiene and healthy lifestyle choices. Classmates have rebooted a nursing organization that focuses on students’ mental health, and others cofounded an interprofessional organization that directly works alongside people in the community struggling with drug addiction and recovery. Many dedicated countless hours to DanceBlue, a campus-wide, student-run philanthropy event that raises money to fight pediatric cancer.
As we begin our new careers and look at the opportunities that lie ahead, I urge us not to forget the basics of a head-to-toe assessment. The following clinical findings are a summary of what we have been taught these past four years.
Cardiac: Remember why we chose nursing. Our passion is people. Caring for others makes our hearts sing. We have responded to the call to be empathetic. Without heart, nursing is just science; but with compassion, trust develops and relationships form. Sometimes shared silence or a hand squeeze is all patients need to know we are here for them.
Head/Eyes/Ears/Nose/Throat: Pay attention to details. Look at and listen to your patients. See your patients for who they are and not their illness, inability, or lifestyle choices that brought them under your care.
Pulmonary: Deep breathing makes difficult situations easier. Whether it is alongside a patient having contractions on a labor and delivery unit or between patient rooms when prognosis is poor and interventions are no longer effective, deep breathing serves as a personal timeout to reorganize thoughts and gain control of emotions before moving on to the next task.
Gastrointestinal: Go with your gut; follow the instincts we learned. If an assessment finding seems abnormal, investigate. Notice subtle changes in a patient’s condition and intervene early. Do not be afraid to ask for a second opinion and advocate for your patient during rounds with the medical team.
Neurological: Continue to learn, grow, and challenge yourself. There is always more to understand and more to accomplish. Also, do not neglect your own health. Someone once told me that you cannot be a caretaker if you do not take care of yourself. Psych class taught us that mental health is vital to physical wellbeing. We must utilize the strategies gained during nursing school to cope with the emotions and stress of caring for people at their worst and sickest moments.
Skin: Have thick skin and tough it out. Alumni have warned us that the first year will be the hardest. Some shifts will leave us feeling unprepared and doubting our abilities. But take heart! Our professors and clinical instructors have equipped us with the necessary skills to begin our careers; confidence and intuition come with time and experience. We are capable.
To my class, thank you for embodying the true ideals of nursing. I feel honored to have served as president of this class. It has been exciting to see everyone find his or her niche within the realm of possibilities nursing has to offer. I am inspired by each of you to be a better nurse every shift. I am confident in our ability to become nurse leaders, and I look forward to seeing the impact we will make in the nursing field locally, nationally, and abroad.
Neal Harrod, Class Speaker
Thinking about what I should say today, I spent time reflecting on the past 4 years. I remember as if it was yesterday how this all started with a letter in the mail. I got the big envelope from College of Nursing saying I had been accepted into the nursing program. The moments that followed were filled with joy and excitement. I ran inside to my wife jumping up and down. I am sure our neighbors may have thought we won the lottery with all the noise and commotion. After all, a dream had just come true, and from that day I knew it would only be a matter of time before this day would arrive. Through all the excitement, I almost forgot to continue looking at the rest of the mail. After all, what else could be in the mail that was as important as this letter? As I fumbled through the mail my new-found joy was quickly replaced with confusion and disbelief. I had a little envelope addressed to me from AARP talking about benefits or something of the nature. Many of my classmates cannot relate to what that feels like, but some of our faculty understand.
What I will remember most about these last four years is my classmates. Great nurses share many of the same qualities. Two that come to mind are accepting people where they are in life and being able to teach. I know every one of you share these qualities because of how you have interacted with me these last four years. From day one, you not only welcomed me into your lives, but also my family. You brought me up to speed on the current lingo. You spent late nights and weekends in the lounge helping me understand concepts we discussed earlier in class. For that, I am truly grateful.
I will never forget how some of you would always dance before an exam. I always admired you because I can’t dance. So senior year I decided to give it a try. Now, in case you don’t know, T/F on a nursing exam is like a unicorn. Well senior year I got one and was so pumped I thought might as well dance too. Now remember I can’t dance. So here I am at my computer dancing like an 80-year-old who’s had double hip replacement excited because I finally got a t/f and I just knew I got it right. Filled with confidence, I hit “submit” only to face the harsh reality known to us all as nursing school. As Cawood Ledford would say, “missed a gimme.” Needless to say, I no longer dance on test days.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention compassion as an essential quality for a great nurse. I’ve always admired how experienced nurses seem to know what to say to a family that has just lost a loved one. When I lost my father our sophomore year, many of you reached out to me. A few months afterwards, we tragically lost a fellow classmate and my best friend Shayn. I remember getting several texts, but one sticks out. It said, “Thinking of you so much today. I didn’t know Shayn well, but I knew you were super close.” I have carried those words with me these last few years. Not as a reminder of what was lost, but as a reminder of what amazing young professionals surround me.
I could spend all day giving you, our families and friends example after example about how these individuals have influenced my life. They are special but I have feeling you already knew that.
I remember after the first day of school I told my wife that I thought these were some of the smartest people I have ever been around. Well today, I would like to amend that statement and say I know they are the smartest people I have ever been around. Their pursuit of excellence and exhaustive work ethic leave no doubt in my mind that the future of nursing is extremely bright. I find myself saying more and more often that I wish I had more time. Despite what the clock in med-surg would have you believe, time does not stand still. Today I wish I had more time to spend with you, my classmates, and to tell each of you how much you have meant to me. From day one, this class has shared a special bond. At the beginning of each semester, it was like picking up where you left off with an old friend. Because of our time together, I am a stronger person, a better husband, better father, and I will be a better nurse. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be with you these last 4 years.
