Members of the Class of 2017 of the Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel
In a jubilant ceremony, the Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel graduated 80 new nurses who received an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, and conferred a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to 24 registered nurses. The 113th graduation ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 6, at Stern Auditorium on the campus of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Presiding at the ceremony were Janet A. Green and Ruth Nerken, Co-Chairs of the Board of PSON, who presented the degrees. Carleen Graham, MSN, RN, Program Coordinator, RN-BSN Program, served as the Platform Marshall, and Lorraine McGrath, MA, RN-BC, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, gave graduates their PSON pin.
Twenty graduates were inducted into the Honor Society, which was founded in 2012. These students successfully achieved a grade point average of 3.7 or higher.
Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, RN, Dean, welcomed the graduates, faculty, staff, and guests. The commencement address was given by Betsy M. Tirado-Ortiz, RN. Now retired, Ms. Tirado—a 2016 recipient of the Nurse of the Year Award from the National Association of Hispanic
Nurses—maintains a passion for nursing and continues to participate in a number of international missions that help children with congenital heart defects.
“Don’t waste your time waiting to win the lotto. You have already won the lotto—you are a professional nurse,” Ms. Tirado told the graduates. “Make your own riches, share them, and enrich your own life and the lives of others. You each carry within you the power to go from magical thinking to the power of completion.”