Embracing Compassionate Care: BHSU Hosts Second Nursing White Coat Ceremony

On July 8, 2024, in the Campus Hub Gymnasium, the Baptist University Nursing Division hosted its second White Coat Ceremony for the class of Spring 2026, a rite of passage that not only emphasizes the importance of compassionate patient care early in nursing training but also plays a pivotal role in shaping the professional identity of our future nurses. Dr. Angel Boling, BSN chair, opened the ceremony and welcomed guests. Dr. Ivy Anderson, nursing faculty, followed with an opening prayer. 

Dr. Cheryl Johnson-Joy, associate dean of nursing, presented Ashleigh House, Capstone senior nursing student, as the student speaker for the event. House ended the speech by stating, “I want to leave you all with a quote from Dr. Maya Angelou. She once said, ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ So, as you embark on this new journey, always remember to go into the hospital with a kind heart ready to heal the world with God on your side, one patient at a time.”

Dr. Boiling then introduced the dean of nursing, Dr. Cathy Stepter, as the guest speaker for the evening, who stressed the importance of the profession, stating, “Nursing is a calling of service. It is about putting others’ needs above your own, about going the extra mile to ensure the well-being of your patients. Today, you are not just accepting a coat; you are embracing a calling. You are pledging to uphold the highest standards of nursing practice, to advocate for your patients, and to lead with integrity and empathy. Your white coat is a reminder of the light you carry within you—the light of knowledge, compassion, and dedication. Remember that your work is not just a profession, but a ministry of healing and love.”

Forty students came forward during the ceremony to be cloaked in white coats and receive pins by Dr. Cheryl Johnson-Joy, Dr. Demetric Osborn, Professor William Wood, Dr. Cheryl Scott, and Professor Allyson Smith. While holding nursing lamps and led by Boling, the group recited the University’s Nursing Clinical Pledge, a pledge that symbolizes the commitment to compassionate and ethical patient care. This pledge underscores the significance of the commitment each student is making. Stepter provided closing remarks and Anderson prayed for the group. A reception followed the event.

The White Coat Ceremony, initiated in 1993 at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons by Arnold P. Gold, MD, has since become a global tradition. Dr. Gold, a passionate advocate for humanistic health care, 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, uniting health care professionals in their commitment to compassionate care.

In 2014, recognizing nurses' vital role in the health care team, the Gold Foundation partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to adopt a similar ceremony for nursing. The Gold Foundation provides support and resources to nursing schools to conduct the White Coat Ceremony, ensuring its successful implementation and continuation.

While it may take different forms at each nursing school, at its core, the ceremony emphasizes the importance of humanistic patient care, which is defined as compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent health care, early in nursing training and professional identity formation. 

The Gold Foundation champions the human connection in health care. The foundation engages schools and their students, health systems, companies, and individual clinicians in the joy and meaning of humanistic health care so that patients and their families can be partners in collaborative, compassionate, and scientifically excellent care. 

For more information about the ceremony and the Gold Foundation, visit www.gold-foundation.org.

The BHSU ceremony was sponsored by the Baptist University Student Nurses Association, Dr. Seraphine Lambert and Dr. Cheryl Johnson-Joy, Advisors. Thanks to Dr. Demetric Osborn, Dr. Angie Crow, Professor Marilyn Dillard, Professor Allyson Smith, Dr. Cheryl Scott, Professor William Wood, and Jeremy Wilkes for helping with the event.