White Coat Ceremony at Minot State
MINOT – The Minot State University Department of Nursing, in partnership with Trinity Health, will hold its White Coat Ceremony for incoming Fall 2022 students.
The White Coat Ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, is a rite of passage to emphasize the importance of compassionate patient care at the very start of training.
“As nursing faculty, we are honored to welcome the 2024 class into the nursing program and present them with their white coats,” said Amy Lee, Minot State University nursing chair. “The white coats are generously provided by Trinity Health, and this ceremony represents the commitment to a profession of caring and compassion in combination with scientific excellence.”
The University held its inaugural White Coat Ceremony for incoming Fall 2021 students. In conjunction with the Arnold P Gold Foundation/AACN grant, Trinity Health has sponsored the three ceremonies, covering the cost of the white coat for each nursing student.
“A white coat ceremony is symbolic of a transition or commitment to the nursing profession. It is a rite of passage — a visual reminder of a commitment to hold the nursing profession in high regard, a student’s obligation to a life of service and learning, and passion for what it means to answer the calling to be a nurse,” Karen Zimmerman, chief nursing office/vice president for patient care service at Trinity Health said prior to the inaugural event.
New students will recite an oath with a commitment to humanistic — compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent — patient care. The students will be cloaked before family and friends in the iconic white coat that signifies their status as healthcare professionals.
The first White Coat Ceremony took place in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Today, a White Coat Ceremony or similar ritual takes place at 99% of American Association of Medical Colleges accredited schools of medicine in the United States, medical schools in 19 other countries, in over 450 schools of nursing, and in several physician assistant programs.
