Updated Pin Continues Nursing Tradition

At this year’s Pinning Ceremony, held on August 8, 2024, Masters Direct Entry (MDE) students received a newly updated pin to signify their preparedness to enter the practice of nursing. 

The new pin has the words “Columbia Nursing” on its face, rather than “Columbia University.” Heidi Hahn-Schroeder, DNP, who directs the MDE program, said she is happy with the update. “It was a good change and much more representative of our school.”  

While the pin itself has been updated, the modern pinning tradition dates back to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition of her tireless service to the injured during the Crimean War. The Nightingale School of Nursing in London created a badge with a Maltese cross, awarding it to nurses as they completed their program, and a ceremony awarding badges, also called pins, soon became a tradition in nursing schools around the world. The pins symbolized educated people who were prepared to serve the health needs of society. Eventually, each school of nursing designed and awarded its own pin. 

"The pinning ceremony truly is a representation of joining the Columbia Nursing community and the larger nursing community around the world," Alumni Association President Julie Yoshimachi, DNP ’20, said. 

“The pin reminds us to love and cherish the profession of nursing, and we wear it with pride, for nursing is truly the finest art,” said Mary Masterson Germain, BS ’64. 

“I continue to wear my Columbia Nursing pin proudly after all these years,” said Janet Ready, BS ’81, chief operating officer of the Premier Medical Group of Hudson Valley and chair of Columbia Nursing’s Board of Advisors. “It signifies a true devotion to the nursing profession and to this incredible school.  I am proud to be a Columbia Nurse.”