Nursing

Dear BSN and MN Nursing Graduates:

From your first anxious day in a classroom at the University of Washington, Tacoma, or from your first encounter with a nursing faculty member at the Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, as a June 2008 graduate, you are the recipient of a great deal more then a BSN or MN degree. The degree that you will hold in your hand on June 13, 2008 represents only a token, or a small portion, of the reward that you have earned at the University of Washington.

For the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates, the critical thinking skills that you have learned allow you to question authority and not accept things on face value. The communication skills that you acquired help you write succinctly and communicate effectively. The ability to understand individuals from different backgrounds and cultures is a lesson that you will apply daily in your work. The capacity to apply research findings to your practice areas will improve healthcare outcomes. Being able to comprehend community is a class that you will carry forward into your own living.

As the graduates of the Master of Nursing (MN) Program, you have acquired a set of skills that will not only improve nursing practice, but will also change healthcare across the entire South Puget Sound and beyond. The scholarly projects and publications that you completed exemplify the very best in graduate nursing education.

When the Thesaurus is searched to find meanings for the word congratulations, well done, nice one, good for you, best wishes, and many happy returns are listed. As a June 2008 nursing graduate, each of you fulfilled your very own personal and professional goals. These aims might include advancing your professional position, earning another degree, or just wanting to be a better educated person. Whatever your goal, the degree that you receive from the University of Washington is your happy return. It says good for you for enduring personal and professional hardships. It says well done for being the first group to finish from Providence St. Peter Hospital. It also means best wishes for acquiring the skills that will "map out your future" and that will secure your professional place.

Marjorie Dobratz, director of Nursing program