Ceremony celebrates nursing students

Students in the UWO-Fanshawe College Collaborative Nursing program entered into the clinical stage of their education with a ceremony held last week.

With half the students studying at Western for two years, while the other half here at Fanshawe, the 2011 graduating class were brought together to hear industry professionals speak on the importance of caring within the nursing profession.

The over 100 nursing students in attendance also recited from The Nightingale Declaration.

“We thought this would be very appropriate for our students to do, to … role-model and teach them about our professional values, caring and commitment to the health of our patients,” said Lorena Harvey, a Nursing Professor within the four-year collaborative BscN program.

Leanne McAuley, a Register Nurse who graduated from the program in June 2007 and the 2007 Gold Medal recipient, spoke to the students about the importance of caring as human beings in relation to the nursing profession.

A traditional candle was lit at the ceremony, which symbolizes Florence Nightingale's lamp she carried during the Crimean War, and each student was given a pin.

The collaborative nursing program between Western and Fanshawe began in 2001 when it became mandatory that all Registered Nurses optain a degree. Each student in the four-year program spends two years studying at Fanshawe and two years at Western.

This is the first time students were ceremoniously honoured prior to entering the clinical stage of the program. The students will begin their clinical study in long-term care facilities.