Last night I had the extraordinary pleasure of walking up to shake the hand of the Chancellor of the University of Toronto and accept my Masters of Nursing. While the president of the university did invoked a latin pronouncement no magic happened, no spell was cast or special powers were unlocked. A simple change to my name took place, I now will sign Robert Fraser MN RN.

Accepting that piece of paper was a great honour, but there were a few parts that to me were more exciting. First, seeing my classmates accept their degrees. I was privileged to sit in class with the leaders of nursing that will spread out from that hall and begin to change the face of healthcare. Second, I got to see the new Bachelors of Science in Nursing be awarded to students I had taught, for better or worse, but hopefully better. From stressed out and tired in the lab to well groomed, composed and beaming with pride they made it through the difficulties of a nursing degree. They have every right to be proud.

While it was a great night to celebrate there are two things that I took away from the night. Sitting in the giant hall of a few hundred if not close to a thousand people I realized that only a few handful needed to be there for me. I saw faces of friends, faculty and family that supported me through my education. They are the reason I was being handed a degree. Through tough nights and long weeks they supported me. The best part of accepting that degree was recognizing the incredible role they all played in me getting it.

The other piece that struck me relates to the lack of magic or secret power that comes with that degree. There is no special textbook, no answer key we now are allowed to look in. While we have all just endured a great deal of stress and a large workload it is hardly over, if anything it is just beginning. To me this is what continuing education is all about. Two or three letters rarely give you much power, except if a license is required. However, they do bring a small amount of respect and a large bit of responsibility.

Now we have to start to create the plans for the next semester or chapter of our lives. We have to see the opportunities and the challenges that most need our attention. There will be no rubric  to follow, no teacher giving us constructive criticism. We only have the knowledge we gathered and the ability to learn. Hopefully that preparation will be enough, hopefully it will help us support those around us.

To all those of you who graduated this year, whether a diploma, degree or graduate studies. Congratulations, you deserve to celebrate! Once you are finished I'm excited to see what lies next, the challenges you will take on and the difference you will make.