Pinning ceremony (nursing)

The history of the ceremony dates back to the Crusades in the 12th century, and later, when Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightingale the Royal Red Cross for her service as a military nurse during the Crimean War.

Monks initiated into the Knights Hospitaller that cared for injured and ill Crusaders were given a Maltese cross, which is considered to be the first form of a badge given for nursing.

[1][2] After the Crimean War, Queen Victoria awarded Florence Nightingale the Royal Red Cross for her service as a military nurse during the conflict.

[1] The first pinning ceremony in the United States occurred at New York City's Bellevue Hospital in 1880.

[1][2][3] By the 2010s, many nursing schools in the United States had abolished their pinning ceremonies, often considering them out of date and unnecessary.

[3][7][8] It sometimes recognizes the completion of educational requirements that enable nurses to take their state licensing examinations.