Midland College Honors Vocational Nursing Graduates August 18, 2021

Nineteen Midland College (MC) Vocational Nursing students were pinned at a ceremony on Wednesday evening, Aug. 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Allison Fine Arts Building Wagner & Brown Auditorium. The pinning ceremony is a tradition for nursing schools, marking the transition from nursing school to nursing practice. The August 11 ceremony included MC Vocational Nursing students who have been enrolled in Midland at the main MC campus and in Fort Stockton at MC’s branch campus, the Williams Regional Technical Training Center.

MC August 2021 Vocational Nursing graduates from Midland are Endurance Adenuga, Myeshia Blaylark, Ukamaka Chukwujekwu, Nancy Ann Elmore, Jeremy Gutierrez, Rokeshia Jimoh, Olga Martinez, Clara Najera, Maricela Perez, Rebecca Pruitt, Kayla Riggs, and Alicia Suarez.

MC August 2021 Vocational Nursing graduates from Ft. Stockton are Yadira Esparza, Sabrina Fierro, Andrew Franco, Norma Lujan, Jessenia Marquez, Gabriel Oyervidez and Ashleigh Ramirez.

“Getting my pin means a lot,” Rokeshia Jimoh, MC LVN graduate said. “I struggled. It was so hard, but it was so worth it. Graduating is the best feeling in the world.”

“It has been a tough road,” Gabriel Oyervidez, MC LVN graduate said. “Now we can finally start helping people, saving lives, and being kind to people. Kindness goes a long way. Everyone should be kind to each other.”

“I was pregnant going into nursing school,” Rebecca Pruitt, MC LVN graduate said. “I had my son while I was still in nursing school and it was super hard. I did it all with the support of my family, friends and professors. Nursing has always been the plan for me, but I had my daughter first, I am just so glad to have finally done it.” 

Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic nursing care. They work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors. They work in many settings, often finding employment at home health care settings, private homes, nursing facilities, hospitals, and physician offices. The median annual wage for LVNs was $48,820 in 2020. 

“We are super proud of these students.” said Kristina Spenser, RN, BSN, CCE, Vocational Nursing Professor. “They have worked so hard. They earned their degrees. With as much shortage of nurses that we have and especially with everything that’s going on right now, they are going to be very needed. Most of these nurses go into nursing homes, med surge units in hospitals and that is where the bulk of the patients are. These new nurses are going to be a tremendous help for the community.”

The nursing pin has a long and honorable history. The tradition of pinning began in 1860 when Florence Nightingale was awarded The Red Cross of St. George by Queen Victoria for her service in the Crimean War. Nightingale shared this honor with her nursing school students by giving each graduate a badge. By 1916 the pinning ceremony became an established tradition of nursing schools.

The MC Vocational Nursing Program is a one-year (12-month) program. The MC program is fully approved by the Texas Board of Nursing. Coursework includes classroom and laboratory work on campus, as well as clinical experiences at various area health care facilities. Completion of MC’s program leads to a certificate. Satisfactory completion of the program qualifies the individual to apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) which in turn allows the individual to become licensed to practice as a vocational nurse.