Nursing graduates Ivy Blancharad, Jasmine Day, Monica Downes, Dannielle Pugh, Maggie Robertson and Kathleen Young gathered by the Nittany Lion Shrine after the nursing pinning ceremony on May 7.
Pins have been used to identify nurses and caregivers since the 12th Century. The Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist tended to soldiers who were injured in the Crusades, their uniforms were marked with a Maltese cross.
In the 1860s, during the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition of her service to wounded soldiers. She continued the tradition, awarding medals of excellence to select graduates of the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital. Soon after, the practice was adopted across the United States.