Nursing celebrates graduating students

By Bryce Johnson •

Three NSU campuses — Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Fort Myers — hosted the biannual Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing pinning ceremony in May 2024 at the Rick Case Arena. This was the first time the campuses hosted the event together.

Stefanie La Manna, dean of the College of Nursing, said the ceremony honors graduating nursing students by having them take a pledge, light a lamp and receive a nursing pin.

“It’s just a tradition in all nursing schools no matter where you go. I remember mine 30 years ago,” La Manna said. The lamp represents Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who used a lamp as light when she comforted soldiers in the Crimean War.

“When she brought the lamp to the wounded soldier, she was noted as the lady with the lamp,” La Manna said. “This tribute and dedication has been continued in all nursing schools.”

Megan Nelson, 2024 NSU alumna, was the student speaker at the pinning ceremony.

“It’s a tradition at every pinning ceremony. They have a student speaker come and speak on behalf of the graduating class,” Nelson said. “It was really a surprise for my family, so I didn’t tell any of my family that I was doing it, so I was really nervous.”

About 1,400 graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled in the Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing across six of NSU’s campuses. Various degrees are offered, each taking a different amount of time to complete – from a year-and a-half to five years.

“It’s an extremely rigorous program. It’s very, very difficult. It challenged me in every way possible, physically, emotionally, mentally,” Nelson said. “I am already starting to miss it. I really do like being in school and I like learning. While it was really, really difficult and challenging, I did overall enjoy it.”

This past year, the college increased its score in the National Council Licensure Examination, a nationwide exam every student must pass to practice nursing, to an average of 95%.

“They can’t practice without passing the NCLEX, which is very important, because if we get below an 80%, we’re in jeopardy of going on probation with the Florida Board of Nursing. That’s how serious it is,” La Manna said.

Nelson said the College of Nursing prepared her with clinical experience and taught her to look at patients holistically.

“I talk to a lot of people in the College of Nursing now. I tell them the most important thing that you have to do is to manage your time and to take time for yourself, because the work will always be there and it’s never going to stop,” Nelson said.

La Manna, who is also a nurse practitioner in infectious disease, started working at the NSU Palm Beach Gardens campus 12 years ago as a faculty member. She became the dean on July 31, 2023.

“It has been exciting for me because I could get involved and see all the students, undergrad and grad, go to all the campuses,” La Manna said. “I love it. I love the faculty. I love nursing. We’re going to blossom even more.”

For more information please visit https://nursing.nova.edu/