Buckeye Hills Career Center’s LPN to RN Diploma program held a Pinning Ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, celebrating the achievements of thirteen students who have successfully completed the program.
The LPN to RN Diploma program is a one-year program designed to help licensed practical nurses transition to registered nurses. This program includes a total of 1,298 hours of training, structured as two days of classroom instruction and one day of clinical practice each week. This schedule enables students to maintain their roles as LPNs while pursuing their studies.
During their clinical experience, students exercise the skills they learn in a variety of hospital settings including medical-surgical, intensive care, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics units.
The ceremony opened with the student processional and the recitation of the Nurse’s Prayer. Dr. Amber Nowlin, DNP, RN, BHCC Program Lead Instructor & Coordinator, then welcomed all in attendance, and Ashton Vance, Class President, delivered a speech to her fellow classmates and all in attendance with the presentation of awards following.
Katlyn Crabtree was announced as the class Valedictorian, and Gavyn Buskirk was recognized as the class Salutatorian. The Spirit of Nursing Award was then presented to Jessica Waugh by the Nurse Honor Guard of the Ohio Valley.
Diplomas were then presented by program instructors, and students were pinned by their friends and family.
Students that received pins included Faith Lynn Brumfield, Gavyn Page Buskirk, Courtney Nicole Carter, Katlyn Jade Crabtree, Jacquelyn Marie Harrison, Lillian Mae Heighton, Lindsey Alexis Marie Mount, Istaree “Jamie” Myers, Trinity Danielle Neal, Chelsea Sierra Nolan, Ashton Mackenzie Lynn Vance, Hannah Marie Waugh, and Jessica Lou Waugh.
Program instructors included Dr. Amber Nowlin, DNP, RN; Mary Shamblin, MSN Ed., RN; Cara Gibson, BSN, RN; and Jennifer Nance, BSN, RN.
The students are now eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Upon passing the NCLEX-RN, students earn their license and their RN credential.
Additionally, through Buckeye Hills Career Center’s partnership with Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio, these students have the opportunity to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in the Science of Nursing (BSN) 100% online and at a discounted rate. Muskingum’s RN to BSN program is ranked the #1 RN to BSN Nursing Program in Ohio by RN Careers and provides Buckeye Hills graduates with the option to take classes in five 8-week terms – allowing students to complete the program in one year.
The LPN to RN Diploma program at Buckeye Hills Career Center is offered once a year, featuring 49-week cohorts that kick off each spring. View more information about available Nursing programs at Buckeye Hills Career Center here.
View the full photo gallery from the event here.