Commencement & Pinning

December 6th Pinning

Friday, December 6th | 4:00 p.m. 

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice
  • Emergency Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Midwifery
  • Nursing Informatics
  • Family Nurse Practitioner/Emergency Nurse Practitioner
  • Nursing Education
  • Women’s Health/Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner/ Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
  • Women’s Health/Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner
  • General Instructions to All Graduates
    • You will be seated in numbered order. It is critical that you remain in order. If you have a nurse family member who will pin you, that family member will sit next to you. No other guests will be allowed to sit next to you, including minor age children (please make plans accordingly).
    • At the Pinning ceremony, you are traditionally pinned by your program director. You may also be pinned by a close family member who is also a nurse. “Close family members” include parents, partners, siblings, and grandparents. Your close family member must be a nurse to pin you. If you would like to be pinned by your nursing close family member, you must contact Dean Lewis directly. *This opportunity is only for students who will be pinned or given a lavalier. This does not apply to those who will receive a PMC certificate.
    • The ceremony will be livestreamed on the VUSN Pinning webpage. The livestream link will be posted by Friday morning. We suggest sharing the VUSN Pinning webpage with your remote family and friends in advance.
    • Guests are seated first come, first serve. As a reminder, you may bring a maximum of five guests, unless you have made a request with Dean Lewis directly.There are no tickets, instead we ask you to abide by the honor system.
    • Disabled guests using a wheelchair should make themselves known to a member of staff. There is a small, dedicated area for wheelchair users; therefore, the disabled guest (using a wheelchair) may have one companion to sit with them. If you have disabled guests bringing multiple children, please ensure that an adult guest can sit with those children elsewhere in the room.
    • Strollers should not be brought into NA 155 due to limited space. Instead, strollers should be left in the hallway outside of NA 155.
    • The ceremony should last around 45 minutes. 
    • Parking is available in the Wesley Place Parking Garage.

4:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony | Nursing Annex 155

Instructions for Pinning Ceremony

  • You are required to RSVP. In your RSVP, you will indicate the number of guests that you will bring. Please monitor your Vanderbilt email address for the instructions to RSVP.
  • Graduates are permitted to invite a maximum of 5 guests. Seating is first-come, first-serve.
  • Graduates need to arrive by 3:30 p.m.
  • You should not wear academic regalia or honor cords. We recommend business attire for graduates and suggest not wearing any spaghetti straps, strapless shirts/dresses, or high-necked blouses as they could interfere with the placement of the pin.
  • Please check-in at the table located at the doors of NA 155 when you arrive.
  • You will be seated alphabetically within your specialty as this is the order you will be called up.
  • You will be pinned or handed your Post-Master’s Certificate by your program director.
  • The ceremony is expected to last for 45 minutes to one hour.
  • The ceremony will be livestreamed. Please monitor this webpage for the livestream link.
  • Graduates or guests with mobility needs should find a member of VUSN staff to escort them to the accessible seating area.

Further instructions will be sent closer to the date. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dean Feylyn Lewis.