Nursing students take their oath at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing annual White Coat Ceremony.
In a joyous beginning of education and training, the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing held its annual White Coat Ceremony for students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program on Monday, March 13, at the Stern Auditorium at The Mount Sinai Hospital. As each student stepped up to don their official white coat and commemorative pin from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation in the shape of a Mobius loop, they left the stage transformed—excited to begin their nursing journeys at Mount Sinai.
During her keynote address, Laly Joseph, DVM, DNP, CNE, RN, C, MSN, APRN, ANP, FNAP, Vice Dean and Professor at the School of Nursing, spoke of the creation of the White Coat Ceremony by the Gold Foundation as a rite of passage for students in 1993. She told the students that their Gold Foundation pin “connects health care professionals with their patients when humanism is at the core of health care, so wear it with pride.”
Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive and Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services at the Mount Sinai Health System, took the podium to reflect on the mission of the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing and the start of each student’s journey to advance the delivery of outstanding health care to local and global communities. She informed students of the significance of their new white coats, which symbolize the “essential role that nurses play.”
In the larger health care field, the white coat continues to be recognized as a powerful symbol of knowledge, skill, and integrity. In the late 1800s, a student of Florence Nightingale’s designed the first recognizable uniform for nurses. This traditional uniform comprised a long dress paired with an apron and cap. Nurses across the world began wearing similar uniforms. Changes have been made to that traditional form of dress: pants and shirts became popular in the 1980s, and scrubs emerged as the most popular nursing uniform in the 1990s. Today, scrubs remain the most recognizable nursing uniform, worn by nurses and students in the hospital setting, though nurse managers and advanced practice nurses often wear the coat as well.
The annual White Coat Ceremony represents the transformation that occurs when a medical student begins learning to become a health care professional. In 2014, the White Coat Ceremony was extended beyond physicians to other health care professions, including nursing.
During her keynote address, Dr. Joseph shared quotes from White Coat Ceremony founder, Dr. Gold: “Listen, listen to your patients. See them as human beings, pay attention to what they are telling you, don’t be afraid to care. The connections you make with your colleagues, your patients, and your patients’ families are crucial for them and you.” She concluded with a quote by Maya Angelou who said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, MBA, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, Dean of the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing and Vice President of Nursing Affairs for the Mount Sinai Health System, said the nursing profession continues to be deemed the most trusted of all professions. As the ceremony concluded, he told the students: “You look stunning in your white coats. I’m really proud of you.”
Fatima Ali and Elie Allomong were among the students who received white coats at the ceremony.
Fatima Ali
Ms. Ali earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and began teaching English as a mentor in Salamanca, Spain. Ms. Ali was fortunate to experience cultural immersion while pursuing her passion to teach, but she eventually felt a stronger pull toward health care. “During my undergraduate years, I had the chance to engage in various volunteer and work opportunities,” she says. “I volunteered at NYU Langone Health, as well as a podiatrist clinic in Queens and a learning center for children with disabilities in Bali, Indonesia. These experiences exposed me to the world of health care and inspired me to pursue a career in this field.”
After graduation, Ms. Ali aspires to work in labor and delivery nursing. She looks forward to working with patients and families across a diverse community. “It is crucial we understand and appreciate the cultural differences that exist within our society. Mount Sinai’s ABSN program recognizes this and has taken steps to ensure its students are equipped to provide care to a diverse patient population.”
Elie Allomong
Mr. Allomong begins the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing ABSN program after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. He has worked as a speech-language pathologist since 2015.
“I wanted to be a nurse since I was in middle school, but because of the education system in my country of Rwanda, I was placed in a teaching program,” he says. “I thought I had no chance to become a nurse until I moved to the United States and learned about second degrees.”
After graduation, Mr. Allomong hopes to gain experience in emergency nursing, with an ultimate goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.