White Coat Ceremony for Nurses

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

It used to be a capping ceremony, now it's a white coat ceremony like physicians. What do you think of this?

https://news.vcu.edu/article/Nursing_students_savor_schools_first_white_coat_ceremony

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Specializes in Oncology.

Dumb. I think white coats should go the way of the dodo. With everyone from nursing to social work to PT to pharmacy wearing one it means nothing. They just serve as germ carries. Seriously, filthy. If you want a ceremony to welcome new grads to the profession, have a pining ceremony.

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Specializes in Neurosurgery, Neurology.

Well, a number of health professional schools have had white coat ceremonies for some time besides medical students, such as pharmacy schools, physical therapy schools, podiatry schools, and physician assistant schools. Before I read the article, I thought it was about APN students (which I could understand), but it's for the BSN students. I don't really understand the point. Will these students be wearing the white coats in clinicals?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I think that both caps and white coats are germ carriers and should be abolished. Pins can also be a hazaard in the workplace.

They can do a ceremony without any of those things.

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU.

I thought it was beautiful ?

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My class had a pinning ceremony. That's all anyone needs, IMHO.

White coats? Anyone and everyone wears those. A friend completing a PA program had a WC ceremony. A friend's kid did a healthcare class in high school....and wore a white lab coat. How is this at all a special thing for nurses?

Stick with pinning ;)

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Specializes in Neurosurgery, Neurology.

My initial undergrad school has a summer abroad program in Argentina where students do research in respiratory disorders, then shadow doctors and nurses in the field. They always take a class pic of everyone wearing a long white coat and one of those cheap stethoscopes around their necks.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Maybe with more men in nursing now they are trying to be more unisex?

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

COB opinion: Bring back the nurses' cap!

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meanmaryjean said:
COB opinion: Bring back the nurses' cap!

Yeah....most men in nursing really enjoy wearing theirs....!

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Far as I'm concerned, save the white coats for the physicians, nurses should stick with the white cap for this ceremony.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
meanmaryjean said:
COB opinion: Bring back the nurses' cap!

Yay! I love you! ;)

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