The 57^th graduating class of Felician University’s School of Nursing filled seven different screens May 12 as they took part in an online ceremony launching their nursing careers.

It wasn’t a “pinning” ceremony- for that, the nurses will have to wait until September 12 when they’ll get “pinned” at the 1500 seat Breslin Auditorium in Lodi, a venue large enough to accommodate social distancing restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Felician University Nursing

Since its inception more than half a century ago Felician has trained some 6 thousand nurses who are now out in the community, hospitals, senior centers, and nursing homes working on the front lines of the Pandemic.

Felician’s President Dr. Anne Prisco told the graduates, “You’re going to look back and think, what can I say about how I stepped up and adapted to a really difficult time in our history. What will you be able to tell your family, friends and maybe your children someday about what this experiences was like for you, and how you rose to the occasion.”

The virtual graduation ceremony was held on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who came to prominence during the Crimean War and helped decrease the death rate of soldiers by two thirds by eradicating unsanitary conditions. Nursing School Dean Dr. Christine Mihal told grads, “She volunteered at a hospital that was filled with cholera patients, cholera was a disease which at the time had no cure. By doing so, she was exposing herself to a potentially fatal disease. Sound familiar? Florence didn’t have the benefit of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) but if it existed you can be sure that she would have been a proponent of it, and of its importance for nurses.”

Nursing Instructor Amy Giordano told the E-Celebration participants that being a nurse goes far beyond bandages and charting, urging them to always remember what it was like to be a nursing student, “and embrace and encourage the nursing students you encounter. Please take the time to teach them. They will never forget, they will walk away thinking to themselves. That’s the kind of nurse, I would want to be.”

Public Health Officer Dr. Gina Miranda-Diaz reminded the graduates, “To use infection control procedures, and to remember three things – washing, washing, handwashing,” saying “understand another living human being has put their lives literally, in your hands.”

Various awards were given out including the Florence Nightingale Award, Excellence in Nursing Award, and the Spirit of Nursing Award. Felician Nurses have long had the reputation of not only being excellent practitioners but are equally known for their compassionate care. Andy Fellows, Director Campus Ministry Office at Felician summed it up well in saying, “our core values are solidarity with the poor, respect for human dignity, compassion, justice and peace, and transformation, and I hope those values have become more than just words to you, but if you’re still coming to understand them. I can simplify it by saying that all these values come down to one thing- love for others demonstrated in compassionate care.”

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About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New

Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com.