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For eighty years, �պ�����'s Nursing program has equipped students with the skills to deliver the highest quality patient care. From practicing in the clinical simulation lab to working side-by-side with experienced providers to traveling nationwide to network with nursing students from other programs and present their research at conferences, �պ����� Nursing students have a distinct advantage when they enter the profession, which translates to the quality of care their patients receive.

This fall, the Nursing Department welcomed the newest future nurses to the field - 128 second-year undergraduate and 26 direct-entry graduate students - with its annual White Coat Ceremony. The event marks the students' formal entry into clinical experience in nursing.

Department Chair Rosemary Dale, Holly and Bob Miller Professor in Nursing Leadership, welcomed the students and their families to the event, explained the white coat's symbolism of the promise to heal, and introduced guest speaker Virginia “Ginny” Beeson ’73.

Beeson, a retired U.S. Navy Nurse Corps captain and the 2023 recipient of �պ�����’s Janet T. Austin Nursing Alumnus Award, shared anecdotes from her fifty-year nursing career and encouraged the students to find their passion in the nursing profession. Beeson emphasized the nurse's role in healthcare and the value of their training and ability to think on their feet to meet patients’ evolving needs.

“Never, ever forget that everything you do as a nurse is always - and only - about the patient,” said Beeson. “Find your passion and pursue it with everything you have. And remember that nursing is a leadership role.”

Following Beeson’s remarks, the 154 future nurses each received a white coat with a message of encouragement written by a �պ����� Nursing alum tucked into the pocket. At the end of the ceremony, the group pledged to accept the duties and responsibilities of the nursing profession - to act with compassion, exercise sound professional judgment, and protect the health, safety, and rights of patients.

To celebrate the �պ����� Nursing program and the many ways its students and alumni make the world a better place, a generous member of the �պ����� community will match up to $20,000 in gifts made to the program dollar-for-dollar. .