Graduates of the Blinn College Vocational Nursing’s blended program received pins at a ceremony, including (from left) Jazmine Bustos-Lozano, Caitlin Stone, Abigail Lindig, Kimberly Hagans, and Cortney Goeke. Not pictured is graduate Sarah Anderson.
Six graduates of the Blinn College District Vocational Nursing Program were recognized at a pinning ceremony recently on the Brenham Campus.
The graduates completed Blinn’s convenient blended program, which includes online theory courses as well as on-campus laboratory and clinical training. Clinical rotations are held at hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout the area.
Graduates were Sarah Anderson, College Station; Cortney Goeke, Marlin; Kimberly Hagans, Bellville; Abigail Lindig, Houston; Jazmine Bustos-Lozano; and Caitlin Stone, Abilene. The ceremony was held at the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center.
The pinning ceremony had a special meaning for Hagans. She started in the traditional Vocational Nursing Program, completing two semesters, but became so ill she had to spend time in a hospital intensive care unit.
“I only had two days out of the hospital and then this (blended) program started,” said Hagans. “In my situation, the instructors went above and beyond.”
Hagans said she wants to further her career in nursing and eventually earn a master’s degree. She hopes to work as a nurse in the Brenham and Bellville areas.
Blinn Vocational Nursing graduates recite “The Vocational Nurses Pledge” using light from candles symbolizing Florence Nightingale’s contributions to the nursing profession. Nightingale, who was credited with improving health care standards in the mid-1850s, used a lamp to make nighttime rounds to care for wounded soldiers.
Lindig said the program was “everything I expected and a little bit more.”
“It’s definitely challenging, but I appreciated all that my instructors did,” she said. “They helped me through it.”
Lindig, who has a job interview in the Houston area, wants to become a registered nurse and support victims of sexual assault.
The 12-month blended program is offered in the fall semester only. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, almost 98% of Blinn’s graduates from the program during the past three years have found jobs in the profession.
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2023 annual median pay for a vocational nurse was $59,730, and employment is expected to increase 5% between 2022 and 2032, creating 34,900 new jobs nationwide.
For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/vocational-nursing.
About the Blinn College District
With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn’s academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
Courtesy of Richard Bray, Director of Communications, Media Relations, and Marketing at Blinn College District
