WS Chronicle

Last week more than 80 students from four local high schools participated in the Nursing Fundamentals Pinning Ceremony, which marks the completion of the CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) course. 

Students from East Forsyth, Glenn, North Forsyth, and Walkertown who were recognized during the pinning ceremony on Thursday, May 16, completed the nursing assistant course, which includes 270 hours of work in the classroom and another 40 hours in the field.

Mariah White, a senior at Walkertown, said taking the course while finishing her last semester of high school taught her how to be more responsible and attentive.  

“I learned how to organize better. I learned the importance of time management and I learned how to put myself in other people’s shoes,” White said. 

Santiago Marcado, a senior at North Forsyth, said he decided to take the course because he wanted to get a leg-up on his peers who intend to go into the medical field. He said, “I wanted to get a step ahead in the medical industry.

“I thought this course would serve as a good steppingstone and it did. And it gives me the opportunity to get right to work,” Marcado said.

When asked how he was able to balance the course work and his high school classes, Marcado said it was tough at first, but after a few weeks it became second nature.

During the pinning ceremony, the students received silver pendants to signify their installation into the brotherhood and sisterhood of nurses. The modern-day ceremony dates back to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her service during the Crimean War. To share the honor, she presented a medal of excellence to her students. By 1916 the practice of pinning new graduates was standard throughout the United States.