Nursing students welcomed with short, white coats in ceremony

September 10, 2024

The Catherine W. Wood School of Nursing officially welcomed its most recent pair of cohorts on Sept. 6 in its first white coat ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic.

And the cohorts, the classes of 2025 and 2026, for the first time donned the short white coats that symbolize, for example, professionalism, compassion and trust.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Crystal Tillman, told the students their journey through nursing gives them a front seat to the best days in people's lives, as well as some of the worst. Tillman is CEO of the N.C. Board of Nursing, which licenses some 180,000 registered and licensed practical nurses throughout the state.

Regarding trust, Tillman pointed to a Gallup poll. Among the 23 professions measured in its 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, nursing is the most trusted. Seventy-eight percent of U.S. adults believe nurses have high honesty and ethical standards, according to the poll.

Caring, she said, is the "absolute essence" of the profession. Focus first on the patient, she told the students.

"People do not forget good nurses," Tillman said.

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The ceremony Sept. 6, held in the Hobson Performance Center, included 49 nursing students from the class of 2025 and 42 students from the class of 2026, each with their own reasons for choosing Campbell.

For choosing to become a nurse.

"On occasions like this, being together is more than just special. You might even say it's spiritual," said Dr. Jeff Mercer, dean of the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

"You are at the start of an incredible adventure, one where each course, each clinical experience, each patient encounter, will help shape you into the nurse that you aspire to be," said Dr. Wesley Rich, associate dean for Health Sciences.
"And while you're just beginning your journey, you already carry the potential to transform lives, because," Rich said, "as future nurses you will be there not only to provide care, but also bring comfort and advocate for your patients."

Tillman picked up on and expounded upon that theme, what she calls the "five C's" of caring: commitment, compassion, courage, competence and confidence. She, too, offered some practical tips.

Smile, make eye contact, sit down with the patient and call them by their name.

Listen.

"Smiling is a universal language," Tillman said. "I might not speak your language, but you know what a smile is. … It puts people at ease. When you walk in a patient's room, sit down, because they'll realize that you're putting them first and you're really intent on hearing what's going on in their life that day."

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Nurses find strength in themselves, Tillman said. Advocate for patients, without judgment. Demonstrate bravery by giving hope and comfort during what could be an intensely difficult time.

It will be tough, challenging. But be brave, Tillman said.

Keep learning, growing.

"Remember, it is well worth it. If you will rely on each other, I can't tell you how strong your bond will be, because it's each of you that will help each other. It's also your family, your friends and your faith that will get you through this, all together."

Hannah Jacobs, a junior nursing student from Dunn, understands the special bonds, the strong roots of support so characteristic at Campbell.

"It's a community that feels like home, so tight knit. It's always family here," Jacobs said.

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