PITTSFIELD — Fifty registered nurses who have completed their baccalaureate degrees at the School of Nursing at the College of Our Lady of the Elms, were honored in a pinning ceremony held on Monday in Veritas Auditorium on the college campus.
This included eight students who took classes at Greenfield Community College, part of the partnerships developed with area community colleges. The program allows registered nurses to complete bachelor’s degrees under the Elms program on campuses that are convenient for them.
“Nursing today is an exciting and challenging profession,” said Suzanne Barenski, Ph.D., RN, director of RN studies at Elms College. “It demands that nurses be able to think critically and to perform accurate assessments on clients, environments, and situations. Nurses need to serve as facilitators of change, they need to demonstrate leadership abilities, and they need to be able to work and collaborate with other disciplines. Seeking knowledge to support their practice is a lifelong commitment.”
The following graduates took their classes at GCC:
Melissa Bednarski of Greenfield, Stuart Firth of Wendell, Jessica Hicks of Greenfield, Tina Howell of Greenfield, Brittany Hulse of Belchertown, Kendra Kuhn of Greenfield, Elisja Martineau of Northfield and April Thompson of Wendell Depot.
Bednarski and Martineau were members of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing while Howell was a member of a national honor society Alpha Sigma Lambda.