Davenport University held its annual White Coat Ceremony on February 5 to recognize the achievements of 24 nurse practitioner students and welcome them to the next phase of their journey into the nursing profession: clinical rotations.

Friends and family gathered in the Sneden Auditorium, on Davenport’s W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus, to witness the highly symbolic ceremony that has become a right of passage for medical and advanced practice nursing students.

During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student’s shoulders, and they recite an oath to provide patients with humanistic, compassionate, collaborative and scientifically excellent care.

This tradition of recognizing nursing students for their achievements was established by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993 at Columbia University. In 2014, the Gold Foundation began partnering with nursing schools worldwide to hold White Coat and Oath ceremonies. 

Tracy Alberta, Davenport’s department chair of Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program director, urged the students to remember the passion that led them to nursing and the privilege of being a healer and an educator.

 “Our MSN students are entering the field at a time when healthcare is advancing faster than ever,” said Alberta. “Technology, research and innovation will continue to change how we practice. But no matter how much healthcare evolves, one thing remains unchanged: the importance of human connection. No matter what pathway the students choose, they are poised to begin a long and rewarding career, doing what they love and making a difference in small and big ways,” she said.

Davenport MSN student Emma Nellis was among the students who walked across the stage to receive her white coat and was excited to be part of the ceremony for several reasons. As a remote student, she appreciated the opportunity to meet her professors and classmates in person and to share the experience with them. “I’m proud to say I participated in the White Coat Ceremony,” said Nellis. “Receiving my white coat means so much because this profession is like no other. I haven’t been a nurse very long, but I know that my passion for nursing will carry me through my entire career.”

 Nellis said she looks forward to becoming a nurse practitioner and hopes to pass her passion on to future nurses entering the field.

Click here for more information on Davenport University’s nurse practitioner program.