Barry University’s undergraduate Nursing program has been awarded funding to host White Coat Ceremonies that champion compassionate care. The financial support — in the amount of $1,000 — was awarded by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation (APGF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences is one of only 50 schools to receive the funding for White Coat Ceremonies, which emphasize the importance of providing compassionate care among health professionals. Launched in 2013, this ground-breaking collaboration between APGF and AACN was developed to promote humanistic, patient-centered care among future generations of registered nurses.
“Barry University has a long history of integrating values and ethics into our curricula. Donning the white coat solidifies the Barry nurse’s commitment to providing ethical, compassionate, patient-centered care,” said Dr. John McFadden, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
This year, 50 nursing schools in 38 states and the District of Columbia were selected to receive funding for this fall’s White Coat Ceremony, which typically consists of the recitation of an oath, an address by an eminent role model, and a reception for students and invited guests. Students also are given a specially designed pin that serves as a visual reminder of their oath and commitment to providing high quality care.
Nursing joins the growing number of health professions that offer “cloaking” ceremonies, including dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician assistants.
“By reaching students early in their professional formation with the message that compassion matters, our goal is to ensure that all future healthcare providers see humanism as foundational to their practice. We remain so grateful to the Elaine and Mike Adler family for their enabling support of this crucial collaboration,” said Dr. Richard Levin, president and CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. “We are delighted to continue our collaboration with AACN this year, which expands the universe of nursing schools offering White Coat Ceremonies to 210 institutions nationwide.”
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 similar events at schools of nursing.
“White Coat Ceremonies highlight the important role compassion plays in providing patient-centered care and improving health outcomes,” said Dr. Juliann Sebastian, chair of the AACN Board of Directors. “With health care becoming more inter-professional and team-driven, nurses, physicians and other providers must embed humanism in their practice as a way to elevate the patient care experience.”