During one of the proudest new traditions at the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science members of the MEPN Class of 2017 donned their white coats, a symbol of the nursing profession, for the first time on August 21st at the school’s annual White Coat Ceremony.
The White Coat Ceremony took place on campus from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. The reception following the ceremony was held in the Garden of the Sea where students, family, and faculty enjoyed appetizers and drinks.
The event culminates the Class of 2017 summer intensive health assessment course and signifies the students’ entrance into the nursing profession. Surrounded by family and friends, each student was coated by a member of the nursing school’s faculty and then, as a group, recited the Professional Nursing Pledge.
Marcia Faller, PhD, RN, Chief Clinical Officer for AMN Healthcare and USD alum was the keynote speaker. Dr. Faller reminded students to be open to change and new experiences in your nursing career because what you think you want to do when you graduate nursing school may take a completely different path when you are out of school for a few years.
Humanism in Medicine pins were provided for each student as a gift from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, initiators of the first White Coat Ceremony in 1993.
