On Saturday January 19, 2019, the CSUN Department of Nursing held its first White Coat Ceremony for the incoming accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (A-BSN) students. These students come to California State University, Northridge holding bachelor's degrees from various disciplines. They will complete an intensive course of studies to receive the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree within 15 months. For this cohort, 40 students were selected from a pool of 300 applicants. They were all excited to become part of the CSUN family.
The White Coat Ceremony is intended for first year students in medical, nursing and physician assistant programs. It is a rite of passage that usually takes place during orientation for the first semester. It serves to welcome students into healthcare practice and enforces the importance of human-to-human connection as the core value of healthcare delivery. It provides a powerful emphasis on empathy and compassion in combination with brilliance in scientific knowledge and excellence in practice.
The event, held in the Grand Salon at the University Student Union (USU) was well attended by students, families and friends. The program started with opening songs performed by the CSUN group, Vocal Percussion Radio. Rebekah Child, Chair of the Department of Nursing, expressed words of welcoming and encouragement to the students as they embarked on a new chapter in their advanced education and career endeavors.
Professor Emeritus Bonnie Faherty, who is also a member of the HHD Dean's Circle, was the keynote speaker. When she began her career at CSUN, she was faculty in the Department of Health Sciences--the Department of Nursing had not yet been established. Faherty was instrumental in the development of the CSUN Nursing program. Her dedication to the discipline and to the students was palpable in her rousing keynote speech in which she summarized the principles of the discipline of nursing as science, and offered guidance based on her experience and commitment, emphasizing the importance of the work a nurse does.
Two alums, David Keen and Anita Long, gave brief descriptions of their past experiences and challenges as students, their journeys in the workforce, and current career successes. CSUN Nursing faculty members Zarmine Naccashian and Laurie Gelardi passed the "white" coats to the students--instead of traditional white coats CSUN nursing students received black fleece jackets with “Keeping Healthcare Human” lapel pins that could be worn with their scrub uniforms.
Finally, the students recited the oath to compassionate patient care lead by Nursing faculty Jon Christensen. They did this in the presence of faculty, college administrators, family members and their peers to affirm their focal duty of patient care.
The history of the White Coat Ceremony traces back to 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (known today as the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, colloquially known as P&S). At the time, Arnold Gold was a Professor of Clinical Neurology and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics there. He noted that the existing practice of having students take the Hippocratic Oath at the end of their medical training occurred four years too late.
The Gold Foundation instituted the White Coat Ceremony as a way to emphasize humanism in medicine at the very start of medical education. Support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation helped advance the White Coat Ceremony far beyond Columbia. In just a few years the ceremony was adopted by nearly every medical school in North America.
In 2014, recognizing the vital role nurses play in the healthcare team, the Gold Foundation partnered with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to adopt a White Coat Ceremony for Nursing. More than 310 schools of nursing now participate and the number continues to grow.
About the CSUN Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (A-BSN): This intensive program prepares students to take the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) upon graduation to become Registered Nurses. This option for earning the BSN is designed for second-degree students who hold a minimum of a BA or BS degree in any field and who have completed necessary prerequisite courses and admission requirements.
The program of study is intense, and nursing courses required for licensure are completed within four semesters in 15 months. This BSN option builds on previous learning and provides specific clinical education that prepares nursing professionals who can practice in a variety of settings. The BSN framework emphasizes the practice of professional nursing including assessment, promotion, maintenance, restoration, and evaluation of the health of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations. Nursing courses include classroom instruction and clinical laboratories in patient care settings.
Below: Faculty Emeritus and Program Keynote Speaker Bonnie Faherty visits with Nursing students at the White Coat Ceremony; next image: CSUN Nursing administrators, faculty, staff and and alumni at the White Coat Ceremony.
Sp 2019
Zarmine Naccashian/CSUN Nursing
Photography: Kenji Kang (CSUN alum)