School of Nursing
School of Nursing
Nursing faculty and speakers line the stage in Gaston Hall before an audience
News Story

BSN Juniors Receive White Coats at Annual Ceremony

(October 29, 2024) — Juniors in the School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program received white coats from their faculty and instructors during an annual ceremony recognizing their academic achievement and dedication as they enter the profession as student nurses. 

The October 18 event in Gaston Hall welcomed family and friends to witness the important milestone in the students’ educational journey. Roberta Waite, EdD, RN, PMHCNS, ANEF, FAAN, dean of the nursing school, and Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MSH, executive vice president for health sciences, attended.

Before distributing the white coats, faculty led the 26 members of the class of 2026 in a “blessing of the hands,” a spiritual moment meant to recognize the importance of healing touch. While wearing their white coats, the students took an oath “to accept the duties and responsibilities that embody the nursing profession.”  As the invited speaker, Amy Bronick, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, an adjunct faculty member in the nursing school, shared her reflections on nursing.

Students, faculty and guests closed the ceremony on Healy Lawn by lighting candles to commemorate the positive presence nurses embody in clinical settings. “Your presence, shown through darkness, will bring hope and comfort to those who are suffering,” said Sarah Vittone, DBe, MA, MSN, RN, director of the BSN Program. 

Watch a Ceremony Highlight Video

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Sarah Vittone speaks at a podium while the dean and other faculty stand onstage behind her in Gaston Hall
BSN Program Director Sarah Vittone, DBe, MA, MSN, RN, spoke during the induction ceremony.
A nursing school faculty member helps student Chloe into her white coat on the stage in Gaston Hall
Instructor Jeremy Sabatino, RN, MSN, helped Chloe Smith (N’26) into her white coat.
A faculty member helps a nursing student put on her white coat
Student Leah Nishiguchi (N’26) accepted her white coat from Jeremy Sabatino.
A Black nursing student stands with a male and female faculty member from the school, both of whom are white
Amber Hardy (N’26) in her white coat, with Jeremy Sabatino and Kelli Giffin, director of the O’Neil Family Simulation Center.
Two nursing faculty members stand together with a nursing student on the stage in Gaston Hall
Jeremy Sabatino and Kelli Giffin with Fenton Perez (N’26).
Nursing students stand together and recite an oath from a program that each of them is holding
Nursing students recited a pledge as part of the ceremony.
A group of 23 nursing students all wearing their white coats stands together on a staircase in Healy Hall
The newly coated nursing students
A nursing student in white coat passes a lit candle to another nursing student in white coat
Sydney Lamson-Reich (N’26) accepted a candle from Natalie Abey (N’26).
A nursing student in her white coat stands on the steps of Healy Hall with her mother who is an alum
Katherine Capuano (N’89) celebrated the moment with daughter Frances “Penny” Capuano (N’26) on the steps of Healy Hall following the White Coat Ceremony.

The Ceremony in Pictures

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Bachelor of Science in Nursing
BSN Program
nursing education
White Coat Ceremony