Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — First-year nursing students at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) will be part of the campus’ first Gold-AACN White Coat Ceremony for Nursing, which will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27 in the Grand Salon on campus.
The White Coat Ceremony is an iconic ritual for first-year students entering medical, nursing, and physician assistant programs to emphasize the compassion that goes into healthcare along with scientific excellence.
“This ceremony gives us an opportunity to focus on the caring side of nursing with our students. Through the ceremony we let them know it’s not all about the skills they learn, but also about the empathy and compassion they bring to their professional life,” said Professor and Chair of Nursing Lynette Landry, Ph.D., RN.
The Arthur P. Gold Foundation, which is dedicated to the human side of healthcare, has been funding White Coast Ceremonies for medical schools since 1993, when the first ceremony took place at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.
“What they found was that doctors were connecting with the skills and science required of a physician and the human connection was getting lost,” Landry said. “The goal of the Gold Foundation was to infuse humanism back into the medical profession because a positive, caring relationship between the healthcare provider and the patient leads to more positive outcomes for the patient.”
Foundation members came to realize that the same dynamic was true for nurses, so in 2014, the Gold Foundation created a partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to develop a White Coat Ceremony for Nursing.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Gold Foundation has selected 50 nursing schools for a White Coat Ceremony. CSUCI was among the 50 chosen this year, bringing the total of participating nursing schools to more than 310.
Each school is given $1,000 to put on a White Coat Ceremony typically consisting of an oath, an inspirational message from a leader in the healthcare profession, and a reception for students and invited guests.
The speaker at the CSUCI ceremony is CSUCI Nursing alumnus Gabriel Guillen, who is now the Palliative Care RN Coordinator for Dignity Health at their two local hospitals: St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo.
The “White Coat” is more of a metaphor as students aren’t actually presented with white coats, but they are given a specially designed pin that serves as a visual reminder of their oath and commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care.
“Nurses are on the frontlines of advancing the health of all patients, and they understand the healing benefits of kindness and compassion,” said Dr. Ann Cary, Chair of the AACN Board of Directors. “AACN applauds The Arnold P. Gold Foundation for its generous support of events that champion the trust, humanity, and compassion required to become a nurse and provide an exceptional patient experience.”
About California State University Channel Islands: CSU Channels Islands is reimagining higher education for a new generation and era. We are an innovative higher education institution that enables students to succeed and thrive, serves as an engine for social and economic vitality and provides the intellectual resources necessary for a thriving democracy. With more than 7,000 students, 1,200 employees and 16,000 alumni, CSUCI is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Our strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Connect with and learn more by visiting CSUCI’s Social Media.