During these challenging times, I’ve been thinking a lot about the pin as a symbol of nursing. As you likely know, the nursing pin originated at The Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London and was awarded to the nurses as they completed their program. Nurses wore their pin as recognition of their education and training as well as the service of nurses to society during times of great need. Each school of nursing designed and awarded a customized pin.
Most pins have a symbolic meaning, often representing the history of the nursing program for that school. Our pin, pictured above, incorporates the five-point Texas Star that is seen on the seal of the state of Texas, as well as the shield from The University of Texas at Austin seal. Under the “University of Texas” you can see the Latin phrase “Quo Ducat Officium.” I wondered what these words meant and my younger brother, a professor of Latin and Greek, translated the meaning of this phrase for me in modern English as, “Wherever Duty Leads.”
“Wherever Duty Leads” seems especially meaningful as we witness the heroic actions of nurses around the country today. Nurse clinicians who are working long hours in difficult situations with shortages of equipment and supplies, lack of childcare and great risk to themselves. Nurse researchers building new knowledge to facilitate better patient outcomes in the face of such a debilitating disease. And nurse educators who are rewriting entire courses in a matter of days to support their students struggle in the face of uncertainty.
For all of our Longhorn Nurses and students working on the front lines and in all kinds of ways to support the health of their community – we are proud and grateful for your service. You have followed your duty’s calling in the most heroic of ways. Thank you.
Alexa K. Stuifbergen, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean, The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Laura Lee Blanton Chair in Nursing
James R. Dougherty, Jr., Centennial Professor in Nursing