Sophomores welcomed into the study of nursing during Fall 2023 Pledge Ceremony
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University School of Nursing formally welcomed sophomores into the study of nursing during the Fall 2023 Nursing Pledge Ceremony, held Sept. 29 in the Okey Patteson Auditorium.
The nursing pledge is a commitment to demonstrate and respect the moral principles of the nursing profession. Specifically, the WVU School of Nursing Pledge speaks to integrity, compassion, ethics, patient advocacy and lifelong learning.
For Ryan Alisauckas, the pledge ceremony serves as a motivator for him to push forward toward his goals.
“I want to become a nurse because I love caring for others and I have always been a social person,” Alisauckas said. “I think it will be really fun to meet lots of people in this profession and create amazing nurse-patient relationships with them.”
Bella Bock sees the pledge ceremony as a formal welcoming into the nursing family.
“I look at this ceremony as a dedication to a life full of learning and providing the best care possible to patients in need,” Bock said. After graduation, she wants to continue her education and become a nurse anesthetist.
For Jesse Gordon, the ceremony marks the beginning of a lifelong commitment to helping people and overcoming obstacles they will face, both as nursing students and as future nurses.
“I knew that I wanted to become a nurse after volunteering at a hospital during my senior year of high school,” Gordon shared. “Out of all of the hospital staff that I interacted with, the nurses were by far the most helpful and caring people not only to me, but to the patients as well. I hope one day that I can be a positive impact on people’s lives just like those nurses were.”
Rachel Somerville said she was excited about celebrating this milestone in her nursing education with her friends and family.
“I want to become a nurse because of the large variety of job opportunities and getting to make a difference in people’s lives,” Somerville said. “I want to be the person that provides excellent physical, mental, and emotional care to people in their most vulnerable times.”
Somerville’s goal is to pursue her master’s degree and become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
The Fall 2023 Pledge Ceremony can be viewed on the WVU School of Nursing YouTube channel.
More information about the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program can be found at nursing.wvu.edu.
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CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu