White Coat Ceremonies Mark MC School of Nursing, PA Students’ Passage into Direct Patient Care
Two revered Mississippi College programs that prepare future healthcare professionals for a lifetime of service will usher students into a special realm of passion, commitment, and privilege when they conduct white coat ceremonies at MC this fall.
Physician Assistant Studies students who have completed their first didactic semester of education will participate in the program’s 14th White Coat Ceremony from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, in Anderson Hall in the B.C. Rogers Student Center. The ceremony marks the point where the students have earned the right to advance in the program to learn detailed aspects of clinical medicine. Their first semester focuses on the medical sciences and foundational knowledge required for the higher-level clinical medicine coursework.
Likewise, the School of Nursing will mark the entrance of first-semester students into clinical practice during its White Coat Ceremony at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, also in Anderson Hall. Their coats are emblematic of those who have met all of the requirements to be a nursing student and celebrates their entrance into patient care.
Lorie Ramsey Till, a 1994 MC School of Nursing graduate who serves as chief executive officer of Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale, will be the guest speaker at the School of Nursing’s ceremony. She said the school laid a strong foundation for her successful career.
“The rigorous academic preparation, coupled with compassionate instructors who modeled excellence in patient care, equipped me to make a difference in healthcare leadership,” Till said. “MC’s emphasis on integrity, servant leadership, and holistic nursing practice instilled in me the values I strive to uphold daily at Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center.”
Although the White Coat Ceremony wasn’t instituted at MC until after she had graduated, Till recognizes its respect the nursing profession.
“The White Coat Ceremony holds such esteem in nursing because it publicly acknowledges a student’s transition from preclinical studies to direct patient care,” she said. “It’s a powerful reminder of the trust placed in us as future nurses and the sacred responsibility we have to provide compassionate, competent care to all patients.
“I’m deeply humbled and honored that the School of Nursing would invite me to speak at this meaningful event. It’s a privilege to inspire and encourage the next generation of nurses as they embark on this life-changing journey.”
The first MC School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony took place in the fall of 2014 and was supported by grant funds from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, made possible through the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The foundation, an international, nonprofit organization, works with physicians, nurses in training and in practice, and other members of the healthcare team to instill a culture of respect, dignity, and compassion for both patients and professionals.
The following year, the ceremony’s focus was re-centered on the University’s core values of faith and caring. Till’s White Coat Ceremony message will focus on the power of nurses to transform lives and communities through selfless service, continuous learning, and unwavering commitment to their patients.
“I’ll share stories from my journey, highlighting challenges overcome and the immense rewards of this sacred calling,” she said. “My time at MC’s School of Nursing was transformative, shaping me both personally and professionally.
“I hope the students who attend the White Coat Ceremony will leave with a renewed sense of purpose, a deepened commitment to excellence, and the knowledge that they, too, can make a profound impact on the world of healthcare.”
Following Till’s address, the participants will ascend to the stage in pairs, where a fourth-semester nursing student will help them into their new coats. Each pair of students will then be met by a School of Nursing faculty member at the bottom of the platform stairs to receive a Blessing of the Hands. The blessing is to ask for God’s protection, guidance, and wisdom as the students move into the profession of nursing. The newly coated students will also receive a pocket-sized copy of the Gideon Bible.
By participating in the White Coat Ceremony, School of Nursing students promise to uphold the standards of professional nursing practice with pride and diligence and to work with others in mutual cooperation for the improvement of healthcare services. Physician assistant students approach their White Coat Ceremony with similar veneration.
“The White Coat Ceremony is more than just a ritual,” said Rachelle Dye, department chair and program director of Physician Assistant Studies. “It is a rite of passage. It is the moment when our students step across the threshold into the world of medicine.
“By donning the white coat, they are accepting the mantle of responsibility that comes with being a healthcare provider.”
Physician assistant students like Rachel Baker will share the privilege of caring for the health and well-being of the community – an extraordinary opportunity that carries a tremendous responsibility.
“To me, the White Coat Ceremony serves as not only a celebration, but as a symbol that represents both the beginning of my career in the PA profession and the current PA profession welcoming me in,” Baker said. “It also serves as a moment to recognize my commitments to my future patients and coworkers to serve them well.
“Receiving a white coat is something I hold with great honor. When someone wears a white coat, it means that they have answers or that they stand in a patient’s best interest in a vulnerable time. Receiving my white coat means that I am one step closer to stepping into my calling as a PA and dedicating my future to serving people within the medical profession.”
She said the ceremony also provides an opportunity to celebrate a profound accomplishment with her classmates.
“After this summer, I have seen my class work through a lot together and each of us is doing something really hard,” she said. “To see each of us put a checkmark next to this step in our journey is amazing. I love our faculty, as they are dedicated to helping each of us to be the best we can be, Being able to celebrate with them is a great experience as well.
“The journey to continue in PA school after receiving a white coat is even harder. Since I started to pursue a career in the healthcare field, I was enlightened by many that it is challenging and there will be countless setbacks, sleepless nights, and breakdowns. Throughout my experience, each of those have been worth it because I am pursuing a career in which I am part of something greater than myself. I have a great responsibility to serve my future patients and to do it well.”
The physician assistant students were organized into six groups according to the faculty “team leader” they had been assigned to within the PA Program: Team (Megan) Colvin, Team (Justin) Goebel, Team (Katryna) Horton, Team (Julie) Kasperski, Team (Stephanie Stanford) Keith, and Team (Daniel) Watkins.
After receiving their coats, the students will raise their right hands and recite the Physician Assistant Oath before receiving a Blessing of the Hands.
Dye called the first didactic semester of training “grueling” for PA students.
“The knowledge they learn is so crucial that if they make below 70 in just one class, they are dismissed from the program,” she said. “They still have three more semesters to go before they must pass rigorous comprehensive testing regarding every aspect of the didactic year before being allowed to enter the clinical year next fall.
“In addition to regular classes, the student groups will meet with their ‘team leader’ on a weekly basis to strengthen their critical thinking and develop the professionalism skills needed for entry into the medical profession.”
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