Hodgdon resident among University of Maine at Fort Kent nursing students to receive honors

  FORT KENT, Maine – Thirty-two current University of Maine at Fort Kent nursing students were inducted into the Nursing Honor Society and 38 UMFK nursing students were honored at the Nurse Pinning Ceremony held on Friday, May 9 in the Fox Auditorium.
The theme of the ceremony was “Nurses Leading The Way: Transforming Health Care Through Leadership.” Every day, nurses step forward embracing new technologies, resolving emerging issues, and accepting ever-changing roles in their profession. They lead the way for their patients, colleagues, organizations, and the health care industry as a whole.
The afternoon ceremony began with inspirational words from Candace Gagnon, a senior nursing student.
The featured keynote address was by Anne Perry, FNP. Perry is a nurse practitioner who works and resides in Calais. She has served four consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, proudly representing the constituents of District 31.  During her time in the legislature, Perry sponsored a number of bills to address health care delivery and the practice of nursing in the state of Maine. She also served as the chair of the Health and Human Services and the Insurance and Financial Services Committee during her tenure.
Perry works at Calais Regional Medical Services as an advanced practice nurse. She is a member of the Board of the Maine Nurse Practitioner’s Association. She also serves as adjunct nursing faculty for Husson University, her alma mater, teaching, a Health Policy class to nurse practitioner students. Perry also works with Quality Counts on the Choosing Wisely Initiative, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation to help physicians and patients engage in conversations about the overuse of tests and procedures and support physician efforts to help patients make smart and effective care choices.
Dr. Jenny Radsma, professor of nursing, introduced the nursing students who were inducted into the UMFK Nursing Honor Society, including Gaige P. Flewelling  of Houlton. The UMFK Nursing Honor Society was formed in the spring of 1998 for the purpose of recognizing and fostering academic excellence and scholarship among students, alumni, and community leaders in nursing.
Students with a grade point average of 3.0 or above, in the top 30 percent of their graduating class, and who represent the attributes of scholarship as defined by Boyer (1990) and Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society for Nursing, were eligible for induction to the Honor Society.
Receiving her nursing pin that signifies the completion of the bachelor of science in nursing degree and also symbolizes the honor and responsibility held as a professional nurse is  Emmaly S. Jurson  of Hodgdon.