Northwest College Hosting Ceremonies for Medical Graduates
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 5, 2022
Northwest College will be holding a pair of special ceremonies on May 6 and May 13 to honor the 2022 graduates of the paramedic and nursing programs.
The Paramedic Coining Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 6, at 10:00 a.m. in the Yellowstone Building Conference Center. The R.N. Pinning Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 13, at 3:00 p.m. in the Nelson Performing Arts Auditorium.
Both events are open to the public.
The Coining Ceremony will recognize the first cohort of the N.W.C. Paramedic program, which began in the fall of 2020.
The N.W.C. Associates of Applied Science in Paramedicine is a hybrid four-semester program that includes four semesters of core paramedic courses and other degree requirements. Obtaining a degree consists of online coursework, face-to-face labs, and clinical experiences.
Friday’s coining ceremony is based on a tradition passed down from the military, with graduates receiving a Northwest College-specific coin to carry for their careers. Possessing the challenge coin signifies their membership in a select group of people who have graduated from the Northwest College Paramedic program.
The inaugural class of paramedic graduates includes Kaylena Atnip, Bianca Chavez, Michelle Vaughn of Cody, Matthew Hetzel of Evanston, Patrick Northrup of Powell, and Lacey Taylor of Burlington.
The R.N. Pinning Ceremony serves as a symbolic welcoming of newly graduated nurses into the profession.
Held at the end of each semester, the Pinning Ceremony traces its origins back to the 12th century. Graduates of the program are traditionally presented with nursing pins by either the faculty or someone significant to the person receiving the pin.
The NWC Associate Degree in Nursing Program uses an evidence-based nursing curriculum that intentionally prepares students for the challenges nurses face in today’s changing rural healthcare environment. The five-semester program supports Wyoming’s unique nursing education need by creating a seamless pathway for students to exit after the second semester and sit for the LPN NCLEX exam or continue to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) through the University of Wyoming.
The ceremony also includes a candle-lighting and the reciting of the Nightingale Pledge, a modified version of the Hippocratic Oath named for the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
