White Coat Ceremony Ushers MC Nursing Students into ‘Compassionate, Spiritual’ Profession

School of Nursing students display their new white coats following the ceremony in the B.C. Rogers Student Center.

Taylor Martin remembers the emotions she felt as a nursing student when she first donned a sparkling white coat, emblematic of her chosen profession’s obligations and responsibilities.

The semester one coordinator and instructor wanted every student in the School of Nursing at Mississippi College to experience the same sense of pride when participating in the White Coat Ceremony Sept. 13 in the B.C. Rogers Student Center.

“The ceremony is an iconic rite of passage for incoming nursing students at MC,” said the Madison resident, who coordinated the event. “During the ceremony, I am reminded of the journey and the sacrifices each of them took to come here and fulfill God’s calling.

“My focus each semester is to make the event student-centered.”

With that in mind, for the first time, a semester one student – Esther Campbell – opened the event by leading the invocation. The school’s Young Alumni of the Year Award recipient – Brianna Pendergrass, a 2014 graduate of the school – was selected to serve as guest speaker.

“I wanted the students to see someone who was in their place not too long ago and to hear all the things she has accomplished in a short amount of time,” said Martin, who is pursuing a doctorate in public health. “Each ceremony, we also anoint and bless each student’s hands, highlighting the importance of the nurse’s therapeutic, healing touch.”

After Pendergrass’ address, the participants ascended to the platform in pairs, where a senior nursing student helped them into their new coats. Each pair of students were then met by a School of Nursing faculty member at the bottom of the platform stairs to receive a blessing of the hands before returning to their seats.

“The blessing of the hands is to ask for God’s protection, guidance, and wisdom as the students move into the profession of nursing,” said Kimberly Sharp, dean of the MC School of Nursing. “We view students as ambassadors of MC, and we want them to model God’s love and grace as they deliver nursing care in our community.”

She said the White Coat Ceremony creates a bond between the students and the profession of nursing.

“It is a personally delivered gift of faith, confidence, and caring,” Sharp said. “Our school emphasizes that compassionate and spiritual care must be a hallmark of clinical practice. The students understand the professional role they are commencing and that we are consecrating them to the ministry of nursing.

“Once all students have been cloaked, they recite the School of Nursing Creed acknowledging their primary role as caregivers.”

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, Sharp re-centered the focus of the ceremony on the University’s core values of faith and caring.

“Students are ambassadors of MC when they are in clinical agencies, and we challenge them to live out Christian caring in their clinical practice,” Sharp said. “We are to be the hands and feet of Christ when we provide care. This is our calling. It is out ministry focus.

“So, we bless our students’ hands, seeking the Lord’s protection and guidance for them as they start their professional journey.”

This semester, 56 students took part in the event, promising 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. After donning their new coats, each class member received a Gideon Bible.

“The White Coat Ceremony is one of the most gratifying events that we have at the MC School of Nursing,” said Martin, who teaches Transitions to Nursing Practice, Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Foundations of Nursing, and whose area of expertise included medical-surgical nursing. “The pure excitement on each student’s face as they are welcomed into the healthcare profession is priceless.

“I want the students to walk away from the event feeling encouraged. I want them to know that their faculty, administrators, and peers all support them. I hope they can take the key points from the speaker and apply them to their nursing practice.”