Eleven students with ties to Hastings College participated in a Nursing Pinning ceremony on Thursday, December 17, as a part of the Creighton University College of Nursing’s virtual graduation ceremony. The ceremony is a symbolic welcoming of newly graduated nurses, who are presented with a special pin and welcomed in the profession.
A video of the ceremony is available here.
Ten of the students were participants in the 3+1 nursing program, a partnership between Hastings College, the Creighton University College of Nursing and CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island. In addition to receiving their nursing degree, these students received their diploma from Hastings College during the ceremony.
“More than ever, the work that our healthcare workers do for our communities is apparent and invaluable, the students’ dedication and persistence to this profession is evident,” Dr. Barbara Sunderman, Hastings College vice president of academic affairs, said during the ceremony.
The 3+1 nursing program allows students to graduate in as few as four years with two degrees: a bachelor’s degree from Hastings College in Health Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Creighton. The program is called 3+1 because students spend three years at Hastings College and one year in Creighton’s Accelerated BSN program, which moved this fall from Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings to St. Francis.
One student who previously graduated from Hastings College also received an Accelerated BSN degree during the ceremony.
During the ceremony, Chloe Swoboda of Juniata, Nebraska, was presented with the Nursing Student of the Year Award, which is presented to a student who displays outstanding ability in academic achievement and professional competence. She also received the Sigma Theta Tau chapter award.
Jamie Critel of Trumbull, Nebraska, was named one of the recipients of the Constance Smith Peterson Memorial Award, for her work with Crossroads Center Rescue Mission in Hastings. Critel was also presented with the Service and Spirit Award.
Graduates from the dual degree (3+1) program are listed below:
- Jamie Critel of Trumbull, Nebraska
- Courtney Doeschot of Omaha, Nebraska
- Josiane Dominguez of McCook, Nebraska
- Josey Evans* of Broken Bow, Nebraska
- Selena Gochenour of Hastings, Nebraska
- Avah Jacobson* of North Platte, Nebraska
- Emma Johnson* of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Emily Lenners of Adams, Nebraska
- Bailey Richman of Hastings, Nebraska
- Chloe Swoboda* of Juniata, Nebraska
A graduate from the Accelerated BSN program:
- Beatriz Marino-Jachim, of Hastings, Nebraska, a 2019 Hastings College graduate
*Sigma Theta Tau, International Nursing Honor Society, Iota Tau Chapter
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement, Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
