HU’s nursing program awarded funding for White Coat Ceremony

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation (APGF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announced that Huntington University is one of 50 nursing programs across the nation selected to receive funding to host a White Coat Ceremony.

Developed to champion scientifically-sound, compassionate care, the APGF-AACN White Coat Ceremony for Nursing is held at the beginning of an academic year to promote the importance of humanistic, patient-centered care to new nursing students.

Participating schools receive $1,000 in financial support to host a ceremony, which typically features the recitation of an oath, receipt of a commemorative pin, a welcome by a respected leader who represents the value system of the school and the profession the students are about to enter, and a reception for students and invited guests.

“The Nursing White Coat Ceremony is an important designation by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The ceremony signifies a nurse’s commitment to compassion and their promise to provide the best care possible for patients. The HU Nursing Department is honored to have received the funding for this ceremony,” stated, Dr. Diana Shenefield, HU’s director of nursing / assistant professor of nursing.

Though White Coat Ceremonies have been conducted by medical schools for more than 20 years, the APGF-AACN initiative marks the first time a coordinated effort has been developed to offer a similar event at schools of nursing. This year, 50 new nursing schools in 38 states plus the District of Columbia were selected to receive funding to inaugurate their own White Coat Ceremony this upcoming fall.

Huntington University’s nursing department received its 10-year accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) earlier this year. Since graduating its first class in 2011, the nursing program has conferred 91 Bachelor of Science degrees to nurses who now are working worldwide.