Twenty-five students began the journey toward becoming health care professionals at the Indiana University Kokomo School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions (SNAHP) traditional induction ceremony on Wednesday.
Locally, Karedis Araujo and Shaelyn Morefield, both of Noblesville, were among the inductees.
Susan Plough, lecturer of nursing, welcomed the incoming nursing students, encouraging them to lean on one another and their faculty and staff through the challenging process of nursing school – noting that the challenge is worth the reward.
“The journey may be difficult at times, but you will reap the reward of utmost satisfaction when you hold your nursing diploma for the first time, and nothing will ever compare to the fulfillment that improving and saving the lives of others will bring,” Plough said. “We welcome you into the profession called nursing, and we look forward to helping you as you begin your journey to being a superhero.”
Dean Susan Hendricks spoke of the role of the nurse, emphasizing commitment to patient care, providing care based on scientific evidence, serving as teachers and coaches, working as part of a health care team, and advocating for patients. She encouraged them to learn not just to pass a class, but to apply their knowledge to patients, build a strong foundation of knowledge, and to take care of themselves and their classmates during the journey.
“In a short time, at the close of this chapter in your life, you will be a nurse, and it will be worth it,” Hendricks said.
Chancellor Mark Canada also congratulated the inductees, and members of the Indiana Nurse Honor Guard welcomed them to the profession.
The new students, selected through a rigorous acceptance process, wore the red scrubs that marked them as IU nursing students for the first time as they each crossed the stage to receive a certificate of accomplishment. The incoming class also recited the Nursing Pledge, which is a promise to uphold the ethics of the nursing profession.