Fortis College in Orange Park to Hold Its First Nursing Pinning Ceremony

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Fortis College in Orange Park launched its Associate Degree in Nursing program in 2014 to help address growing demand for registered nurses (RNs). Two years later, the campus’ first class of nursing students will graduate on April 1.

To recognize the new graduates, Fortis College will host its first Candle Lighting & Pinning Ceremony this month. Each new nursing grad will recite the Florence Nightingale Pledge, which reads in part: “With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”

The Nursing Pinning and Candle Lighting ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 28, 2016, at the Memorial Hospital Auditorium (3625 University Boulevard S., Jacksonville, FL 32216).

Nurses – specifically registered nurses – are in short supply.

In its January 2016 “Demand for Nurses in Florida” report, the Florida Center for Nursing estimated the statewide shortage at nearly 12,500 RNs as of July 2015. On March 14, Monster.com listed more than 1,000 RN vacancies in Jacksonville, with 345 job postings in Orange Park alone. The need is significant.