Class of 2021 Allied Health students celebrate with pinning ceremony

Beaufort County Community College congratulates the 32 students who graduated from the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program and the four students who graduated from the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) program on May 13. This year the ceremony was held on campus in the BCCC Auditorium, with only graduates and faculty in attendance. It was the first year that the MLT and ADN programs combined their pinning ceremonies. The ceremony precedes the main commencement exercise, and it has been a tradition of the programs since their inception.

The MLT program is a two-year associate degree program in which students learn to work in a clinical laboratory setting. Students study topics such as blood typing and transfusions, how to identify and count red and white blood cells and how to measure chemicals within the blood. Not only do they deal with blood work, they also learn how to identify infectious bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Erica Schatz Caracoglia, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Interim Lead Professor for Medical Laboratory Technology, congratulated and pinned Brooklyn Bell, Melissa Salinas, Cheyenne Rufino, and Chloe Waterfield.

The ADN graduates finished a five-semester program, including clinical experience in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare agencies. Clinical rotations can involve 12-hour shifts, on top of studying for exams and taking classes. Students are trained in general nursing, long-term care, home health, medical surgical nursing, and intermediate and intensive care.

Of the graduating class, 23 were part of the Beaufort County Association of Nursing Students (BCANS), a professional organization that also gives back to the community through service projects, and one was a member of Gamma Beta Phi, the honor society at BCCC. These commitments, in addition to the long hours of study and clinical rotations, show the dedication of this class to their community and profession.

Class officers Allen Paschall and McKenzie Drew reflected on their time with the nursing faculty and took the opportunity to roast them.

ADN Professor Amanda Laughlin gave out awards to the graduating class. She presented the Outstanding Academic Performance Award to Lisa Paschall. Neftali Torres received the Outstanding Nursing Student Award, and Laney Leggett received the Katie Paul Award for Clinical Excellence. The Outstanding Leadership Award went to Kendall Watkins.

Jolene Spencer, ADN Professor, presented the DAISY Award for Exceptional Nursing Students to graduates for their delivery of clinical care in an extraordinary and compassionate way to patients and their families as they are learning. Presented through the DAISY Foundation, and in collaboration with Vidant Health, these students get hand-carved stone sculptures that represent healing and have their name placed on a national list of recipients. Spencer presented Liliana Pacheco and Emanuel Romero with the awards.

ADN students graduating from the program must pass the nursing board exam (NCLEX) before being employed.

The Class of 2021 was in their first semester when classes went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were eventually allowed to return to classrooms and clinical setting, but their nursing school experience was far more complicated than their preceding classes. Kent Dickerson, Director of Nursing and Allied Health, acknowledged the students’ struggles, and Dr. David Loope, BCCC President, relayed his own first-hand experiences with nurses and celebrated the lifetime of service of his mother Louis Loope as a nurse.

These graduates will fill high-demand positions regionally with hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities. BCCC congratulates them and thanks them for their commitment to the health of our community.