It was a celebration in several ways.
A new building. A celebration of the college’s 100th anniversary. A special guest speaker. And 78 new nursing students donning white coats then reciting an oath of professionalism during the UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division’s Nightingale White Coat Ceremony.
More than 400 attended the ceremony, including family and friends, faculty and special guests. A reception and tours of the new building followed.
Students enrolled in medicine, other nursing divisions, pharmacy, dentistry, the allied health professions and graduate studies, also recently participated in ceremonies signifying the beginning of their health careers.
James D. Witter III, became interested in nursing because of the wide range of career opportunities it provides.
“The ceremony was a great opportunity to take that initial step into the role of a nurse,” he said. “Putting on our white coats gave us all a chance to wear our professionalism and show our pride in what we’re doing. It was a memorable bonding moment for our class to share in.”
Nursing student Julissa Bakken said being a part of the white coat ceremony was indescribable.
“Love and joy rushed over me as it signified the start of my dream career,” she said. “I decided to be a nurse for a variety of reasons. One reason is the flexibility of the career. Not only can I go serve in third world countries, but I can also serve in my rural hometown. Most importantly, I chose nursing in hopes of impacting patients’ lives for the better.”
Jana Pressler, Ph.D., assistant dean for the UNMC College of Nursing Lincoln Division, said nurses offer a valuable service to society and make positive differences in the lives of those whom they serve. “The ceremony formally celebrates our 2018 traditional undergraduate nursing students’ entry into the college. It recognizes the students, their beginning assimilation of values and behaviors of professional nurses, and their commitment to academic integrity.”
Guest speaker Susan Hassmiller, Ph.D., talked about the future in nursing and health care. Dr. Hassmiller, an alum of the UNMC College of Nursing, is senior advisor for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In partnership with AARP, she also directs a 50-state and District of Columbia effort to implement recommendations to the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences.
UNMC alumni, faculty, and friends of the College of Nursing helped support this white coat ceremony through gifts to the College of Nursing Innovation Fund and the Nightingale White Coat Fund.
Congratulations, Dean Sebastian and all of the faculty, staff and students at the UNMC CON! Love Ms. Bakken's reason to be a nurse, "Most importantly, … in hopes of impacting patients' lives for the better."
Debra Anderson, PhD, PHCNS-BC
Associate Dean of Research
South Dakota State University