Nursing Students Get Their First White Coats
by Ramona DiFrancesco
The nursing club involves nearly all of the nursing students -- over 130 members. It was scheduled to host 4C’s first White Coat Ceremony Dec. 6 for the nursing students just starting to kick off their clinical education.
The nursing club allows nursing students to work within their community and expand on their interests in the field. And because they’re trying to bring this community work to the 4C’s campus, they’ve brought the White Coat Ceremony to the school for the first time, to honor students entering the nursing program.
The White Coat Ceremony is meant to officially announce nursing students’ presence in the medical academic field, after completing the courses required to be accepted into the nursing program. During the ceremony, the students were to line up to walk across the stage, receive their white coat by their clinical instructor, and attend a reception at the end with their friends and family.
Nursing professor Lisa Van Cott says that the White Coat Ceremony is another great way to acknowledge the nursing program at 4C’s, as well as the need for more people in the field.
“I think it’s celebrating their accomplishments thus far, and getting them enthusiastic about the profession. We are in desperate need of nurses in clinical settings. We have a critical shortage of nurses, so to have this level program, an ADN program, as a stepping stone to get into the profession, is huge for the discipline of nursing.”
Nursing professor Denise Hallemeyer adds that family and friends who attend the ceremony also get a sense of the commitment the student is making throughout the next few years of school, and the support they may need.
The White Coat Ceremony serves as almost the first celebration of a nursing student’s career. Nursing club president Courtney Spencer says that it can take up to a year or two for a student to complete their pre-requisites just to get into the nursing program, which makes it very competitive. This is why 4C’s has brought the White Coat Ceremony to campus this year, because it’s such a big deal for students to get those classes done and get accepted into the program.
Nursing students may have a bit of an idea of what they’d like to study in the nursing field at this stage in their career, but since they’re just starting, programs like the nursing club can help them get more acquainted with the communities they may be interesting in working in.
Spencer jokes that second-year nursing students like herself wish they could’ve had their own White Coat Ceremony last year:
“I know it’s a funny thing, but a lot of us second-year nursing students - we’re jealous - we’re sad that we didn’t get our White Coat Ceremony because our college has never offered it.”
She added that several hundred colleges across the country hold White Coat Ceremonies, and current nursing students are glad that the celebration can be continuing at 4C’s for future students. The White Coat Ceremony was set to be held in the Tilden Arts Center Main Theater.
The nursing club’s honors project is asking for donations of used iPhones, iPods, or iTunes gift cards, to be distributed to hospitals for use with patients who suffer from dementia. If you are interested in donating, you can give items to nursing faculty, staff, or students, you can drop items in the basket outside Wilkens North 226, or you can contact Kelly Sullivan to arrange an on-campus drop-off. They also ask that all data is cleared from these devices prior
From left, Lisa Van Cott, Courtney Spencer, Colleen Edwards, and Denise Hollemeyer (Ramona DiFrancesco)
4C's nursing jackets (Ramona DiFrancesco)
Categories: Featured, Student Life