Feb 8, 2022 3 min read

California University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Leadership program will conduct its inaugural White Coat Ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday via Zoom.

For a link, visit https://www.calu.edu/news/2022/white-coat-ceremony.aspx.

“Cal U. is one of the first universities to recognize Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Leadership students with a White Coat Ceremony. Typically, these ceremonies are held only for nurses entering their profession,” said Dr. Nicole Evanick, RN, assistant professor and Global Online coordinator for California University’s MSN and MSN-MBA programs. “I wanted to do something different for these students to honor them for stepping up to become a leader in these difficult times in health care.”

The White Coat Ceremony is a ritual at some schools of medicine and other health-related fields that marks the student’s transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health science.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation established the White Coat Ceremony in 1993 to emphasize humanism in medicine at the very start of medical education. Gold, a Columbia University professor, believed that the oath taken by new physicians at the end of medical school came too late.

Evanick said the White Coat Ceremony is a powerful symbol of transformation that symbolizes the purity of purpose and the vital role that nurses play in the health care team.

In addition to the white coat, each student receives from the Gold Foundation a Mobius loop pin, which symbolizes the continuous bond of trust, respect and communication that connects health care providers to their patients.

Louise Urban, a 1998 graduate of Cal U’s RN-BSN program and senior vice president of operations for Allegheny Health Network, will address the students.

In her role with AHN, Urban establishes strategic priorities and leads business operations for clinical care facilities across the network’s eastern and southern geographic footprint.

A graduate of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing, Urban earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Cal U. and a Master of Science degree in Health Service Administration from the University of St. Francis.

Those receiving the white coat and pin include Lauren Anderson, Brandon Bohla, LaTasha Bradley, Anneliese Dyer, December Dessify, Jimmy Estilloso, Deidre Frieze, Stephanie Gottselig, Shelia Hill, Christine Johns, Chelsea Maser, Peter Potrykus, Samantha Pulliam, Deborah Russell, Allison Ryan, Justin Short, Donna Smith, Mark Suba, Megan Trump and Morgan Wagner.

Today, 99 percent of U.S. medical schools accredited by the Association of American Medical Colleges hold a White Coat Ceremony.