Emphasizes importance of compassionate patient care at the start of training

Kerrville, TX – Schreiner University Nursing Program hosted its inaugural White Coat Ceremony, a rite of passage to emphasize the importance of compassionate patient care at the very start of training. The ceremony was held at Peterson Regional Medical Center  on Aug 13, 2020, where 10 new nursing students recited an oath to patient care.

In addition to reciting the oath, students came forward during the ceremony to be “cloaked” before family and friends in the iconic white coat that signifies their status as healthcare professionals. The White Coat Ceremony was initiated in 1993 at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Arnold P. Gold, MD, a Columbia professor, believed that the oath to compassionate patient care taken by new physicians at the end of medical school came too late. Today, nearly every medical school in the United States, hundreds of nursing schools, and many other health profession schools participate in this tradition of humanistic care. The Gold Foundation is honored to have supported this White Coat Ceremony with a grant generously given by Board trustee Elaine Adler and administered through a partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

The 10 Schreiner University Nursing students participating in the ceremony were: Jessica Garcia Yorktown, TX), Megan Jacob (Winters, TX), Alicia Messer San Antonio, TX), Jalyn Brooke Otterman (Pipe Creek, TX), Lilliany Perez (San Antonio, TX), Hallie Schmitt (Needville, TX), Keaton Sharp (Magnolia, TX), Robert Clay Stewart (Kerrville, TX), Jayden Ward (Seguin, TX) and Donna Wilson (Comfort, TX).