U of A Nursing School Chosen to Participate in White Coat Ceremonies
University of Arkansas nursing students learn in the simulation laboratory at the Epley Center for Health Professions.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas is the only nursing school in Arkansas to be selected by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to participate in a new program of White Coat Ceremonies this year.
The nursing school, which is part of the College of Education and Health Professions, will hold a ceremony in which newly admitted nursing students will recite an oath and be cloaked in white coats. The nursing school will schedule a speaker and a reception for the students and their invited guests. The date of the ceremony and other details are not final yet.
“This program will help instill in our students a commitment to provide compassionate care,” said Pegge Bell, director of the nursing school. “By wearing that white coat, they will understand the high standards of professionalism we expect of them and the high quality of care that they must provide to their patients.”
White Coat Ceremonies have been an important rite of passage at medical schools for more than 20 years, but this is the first time a coordinated effort has been made to offer similar events at schools of nursing. Students will also receive a specially designed pin to serve as a reminder of their oath and commitment to providing quality health care.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing represents more than 750 member four-year college programs in nursing. Its goals include establishing quality standards for nursing education and to help deans and directors implement those standards. The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a nonprofit organization established with the mission to optimize the experience and outcomes of health care for both patients and practitioners by promoting care that is both humane and technologically sophisticated.
The two organizations chose 100 schools of nursing in 43 states and the District of Columbia to receive $3,000 each to support the White Coat Ceremonies at each school. Their goal is to create a new link between nurses and physicians to support optimal health care in the 21st century.
About the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing: The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers undergraduate and graduate degrees with options both on-campus and online. The degree programs are accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. In addition to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the school offers an online RN to B.S.N. program, an online Master of Science in Nursing with a nurse educator concentration and an online Doctor of Nursing Practice with two levels of entry: post-B.S.N. and post-M.S.N.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines; contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research and creative activity; and provides service to academic and professional disciplines and to society in general, all aimed at fulfilling its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and offers more than 200 academic programs. The university maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1 that promotes personal attention and mentoring opportunities. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas 63 among the 623 American public research universities, and the university’s goal is be top 50 by the celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2021.
Contacts
Pegge Bell, director
Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
479-575-3907,
plbell@uark.edu
Heidi Wells, content writer and strategist
Global Campus
479-879-8760,
heidiw@uark.edu