Wichita State nursing students on the WSU main campus and Kansas State University campus celebrated their Nightingale Nursing Commitment Ceremonies on Feb. 23. Students recited and signed the modern Nightingale Pledge as a commitment to uphold the standards of the nursing profession. This milestone affirms the student’s dedication to the study of the discipline of nursing. Each student also received a copy of the Nightingale pledge and a golden nursing lamp pin to serve as a reminder of this important event in their academic journey. The two ceremonies took place simultaneously in Wichita and Manhattan.
This was the second Nightingale Ceremony for WSU nursing students on the K-State campus. The WSU nursing program is part of the dual-degree Pathway to Nursing program with K-State. Learn more about the program.
The Nightingale ceremony began more than 100 years ago by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and popularly known as the Lady with the Lamp. The lamp is a symbol of all that Florence Nightingale stood for: comfort, kindness, gentleness, courage and unwavering devotion to duty.
Members of the Nurses Honor Guard attended both ceremonies. The Nurses Honor Guard honors nursing students into the profession as they make their commitment during their schooling. The Honor Guard also performs tribute ceremonies at the funerals of nurses by reciting the Nightingale Tribute.