EVERETT – The candles glowed in the darkness, lighting the way for the young nurses.
Florence Nightingale’s oil lamp once warmed the hearts of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. On Tuesday, more than 100 years later, 34 nursing students at Everett Community College stood in the flickering light of candles as they recited a pledge devoting their lives to the care of others.
The candlelight was a symbol recognizing Nightingale’s dedication to nursing.
“It’s an honor to welcome the new nurses to enter the profession,” said Patricia Black, Everett Community College dean of nursing and health science. “It’s our legacy to nursing, and that’s why it’s emotional.”
This was the largest graduating class of nurses at EvCC since the program began in 1950. The class also was the first to earn diplomas since the college and Providence Everett Medical Center formed a partnership to boost the number of locally trained nurses.
Gail Larson, chief executive at the hospital, said there is a nationwide nursing shortage but schools lack money to educate more students.
The hospital in 2004 made a commitment to spend $540,000 over four years to help expand the nursing program. In two years, the class has grown from 20 to 40 students per quarter.
Black said the partnership provides a “ready pool of employees” for the hospital. Sixty graduates were hired last year.
The hospital has increased the number of beds from 320 to 353 to accommodate more patients.
“We will have a continuing need for health care professionals as we expand our capacity,” Larson added. “One of the keys is to have an adequate nursing staff.”
Despite the shortage, the college is very selective in the admission process. Typically EvCC receives roughly 200 applications per quarter and accepts 40.
More than 250 people packed the ceremony. Among them was Saiku Kanera, father-in-law of Alieu Khan, a graduate from Gambia.
“I’m really proud of him because serving people is a first-class profession,” Kanera said. He wore traditional West African dress to celebrate his son-in-law’s achievement.
Chris Salatka, 30, is one of the male nursing students who graduated Tuesday. He said being a nurse is a life-changing experience.
“Being a nurse makes me appreciate the life process from birth to death,” he said. “It’s a very intimate service we’re providing. It makes me feel honored and privileged to be a part of a person’s last moment and make that moment as comfortable as possible.”
The nursing program takes two years to complete. Students need to read about 25 textbooks, each three to five inches thick. They also learn to interact with the patients in a clinical setting.
“It’s been hard on my kids because of all the late-night study and early-morning clinical practice for the past two years,” said Kristen James, 34, a mother of two who also graduated Tuesday.
“But I really like this profession,” she added. “Nothing felt so right.”
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