First Class of Grove City College Nursing Students Earn Pins
GROVE CITY, Pa. – Students in the first class of Grove City College’s Charles Jr. and Betty Johnson School of Nursing received their pins on May 11, marking a key milestone in their educational journey through two degree programs.
The students are the first cohort in the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, in which students complete major coursework at Grove City College and receive clinical training through a partnership with Butler County Community College. Under the program, students study nursing, liberal arts and sciences at Grove City College in their first and final years, with the BC3 training in years two and three.
Emma Clark, Finnley Coglon, Elizabeth Mackey, Abigail Montgomery, Emily Smyth and Sara Layton have completed that training and will graduate next week from BC3 with associate degrees in nursing.
“This first class of BSN students has made enormous progress in their own educational journey and as pacesetters for the Johnson School of Nursing,” said Janey Roach, director of the Johnson School of Nursing. “Earning their pins is an important milestone for them personally and for the innovative partnership between Grove City College and BC3.”
With their BC3 degrees, students are eligible to sit for the RN-NCLEX licensure exam and secure work in the field during their senior year at Grove City College while they complete the coursework for the BSN program.
With their four-year degree from the college, students can secure jobs in the field or continue their studies at the graduate level.
Paul J. McNulty, Grove City College president, spoke at the ceremony. He noted the nursing cohort’s “determination, intelligence, self-sacrifice and good old-fashioned grit” in following their calling in service to the common good.
“There’s a lot of talk about a shortage of nurses, and surely the world needs more nurses to keep up with the present and projected level of health care service,” McNulty said. “That’s a very big practical concern, but I would argue that the world needs more nurses because the world desperately needs people of strong character who possess greater devotion to the well-being of our communities. That’s who nurses are.”
Pictured at top: Finnley Coglon, Emily Smyth, Emma Clark, Abigail Montgomery, Sara Layton and Elizabeth Mackey.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
