Table of Contents
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing hosted its inaugural White Coat Ceremony, designed to emphasize the importance of compassionate patient care at the very start of training, Dec. 9 at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. During the ceremony, 74 new nursing students recited an oath to promote, advocate for, and strive to protect the health, safety and rights of patients.
“Compassionate care is one of the hallmarks that distinguish a Bon Secours nurse,” said Dr. Barbara Sorbello, dean of nursing. “Compassion, knowledge, skills, integrity, and a heart for serving others are some of the key qualities professional nurses need to provide high quality patient care. The White Coat Ceremony is a commitment to that care, and we are proud to carry this tradition forward.”
During the ceremony, students came forward to be “cloaked” in the iconic white coat by Nellie League, Jody Bishop, Robin Johnson, and Barbara Gesme, each of whom is a nursing executive within the Bon Secours Mercy Health System. After an oath of compassionate care was recited, the ceremony concluded with remarks from Jill Kennedy, vice president and chief nurse executive for the Richmond Market and Atlantic Group for Bon Secours Mercy Health.
The White Coat Ceremony was initiated in 1993 at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons by Dr. Arnold P. Gold, who was a professor and pediatric neurologist. Gold, an advocate for humanistic healthcare, believed that the oath taken by new physicians at the end of medical school came too late. Through the nonprofit organization that he and his wife, Dr. Sandra Gold, started, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation has expanded the White Coat Ceremony around the globe.
Funding for Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing’s inaugural ceremony was provided, in part, by the Gold Foundation through the support of its trustee and donor Elaine Adler. BSMCON was among 50 nursing schools selected this last year to launch their first White Coat Ceremony.
Today, nearly every medical school in the United States, hundreds of nursing schools, and many other health profession schools around the globe participate in this tradition.
