March 07, 2016

 

In late February, 30 students walked across a stage in Stockton to take part in a ceremony with deep roots in nursing education, but one almost as new as each student’s commitment to the profession.

It was the first white coat ceremony at the California State University, Stanislaus Stockton Center hosted by the School of Nursing for the Accelerated Second Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The ceremony celebrates a significant milestone in the lives of first-year nursing students.

White coat ceremonies for nursing began more than 20 years ago as a generational adaptation of the century-old capping ceremonies phased out in the 1980s when nurses stopped wearing caps. As the students passed the podium, each was cloaked by School of Nursing Director Debra Tavernier and ASBSN Director Janelle Culjis. Students also signed the Code of Ethics for Nursing and were given a copy of the document with a red pin from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which reads “Humanism and Excellence.”