The first graduating class of the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Anchorage joint nursing program held its pinning ceremony and took the Florence Nightingale Pledge on Dec. 17 in Juneau at the UAS Egan Library.

The nursing program began at UAS in 2000 with cooperation of Weber State University, in response to the high demand for health care workers in Southeast. The associate of applied science degree in nursing and registered nurse training partnership with UAA replaced the Weber State program in 2003. There are now groups of students in Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka.

The graduates received nursing theory and clinical practice in varied health care settings; the Juneau students received much of their instruction at Bartlett Regional Hospital. Graduates of the AAS program have the option of becoming registered nurses by passing a national licensure exam, or by continuing their studies at the UAA bachelor of nursing science program.