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NOC nursing students and nursing faculty participated in a White Coat ceremony at NOC Enid on Nov. 7. (photo by Shiloh Martin/Northern Oklahoma College)
NOC nursing students participate in White Coat ceremony
The Northern Oklahoma College Division of Nursing held a Fall White Coat Ceremony Tuesday in NOC Enid’s Montgomery Hall.
The first White Coat Ceremony was created by Dr. Arnold P. Gold in 1993 to bring a focus on human caring back to the practice of medicine. The ceremony has expanded from medical schools to multiple healthcare disciplines, including nursing. During the ceremony, students are cloaked and recite a professionalism pledge to acknowledge the importance of human caring and the need to keep patients at the center of that care. The cloaking ceremony symbolizes the passing of the nursing profession to a future generation who have the responsibility to provide compassionate care with the most up-to-date evidence throughout their careers, leaving the profession better off when they leave than when they began.
“The white coat ceremony honors nursing’s traditions and acknowledges the equal contributions nurses at all levels make to humanistic caring healthcare practices,” said NOC Nursing Division Chair Dr. Nikole Hicks. “The placement of the ceremony for NOC nursing students marks their transition from the practice lab to patient care settings within our communities.”
Students earning their White Coats included from NOC Stillwater Kenleigh Aebi, Sierra Aviles, Cody Birchfield, Madalyn Bowman, Victoria Nowack, Kaelee Nunez, and Grant Shaffer.
From NOC Enid, Wendy Birdwell, Kendall Chmielewski, Ilyssia Gonzales, Cassandra Handley, Christopher Nace, Valrie Roblyer, Madison Solis, and Cerena Warfield.
From NOC Tonkawa, Logan Burgess, Tristan Byers, Kalli Dinsmore, Allie Epperson, Aubrey Fredricks, April Graham, Emily Mireles, Becca Toles, Desiree Turner, and Kennedy Williams.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.