Strafford grad receives White Coat from C of O

The Armstrong McDonald School of Nursing (AMSON) at College of the Ozarks held its 16th annual White Coat Ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Twenty members of the class of 2025 were coated.

Dr. Janice Williams, director of the nursing program, began the ceremony by welcoming parents and administrators. The event was held in the Royal Oak Forum at the Keeter Center.

The guest speaker was Craig Couey, who graduated from AMSON in 2014. Along with the white coats, the junior students were given a white New Testament Bible and a white rose. Linda Brennan from the Gideons International Auxiliary presented each student with the white New Testament Bible to use in their practice of healing.

“I encourage you to carry the testament with you,” Brennan said, “Use it for your own personal growth and have it with you when a patient or their family member needs comfort or hope from God’s word.”

Each student was coated by a senior nursing major, members of the class of 2024. After the students were coated, they were led in the recitation of the Nightingale Pledge. The seniors then prayed a blessing over the junior nursing students, who had been coated.

Brooklyn Crawford, of Strafford, was one of the junior nursing majors who received their white coats at the 16th annual White Coat Ceremony.

The AMSON class of 2023, the most recent graduating class, had a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN licensing exam. This was the 5th class in a row in which all students passed the exam on the first attempt, following the classes of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation have collaborated to provide support and technical assistance to 360 schools of nursing in 49 states to offer ceremonies designed to inspire a commitment to provide compassionate, patient-centered care among students entering the nursing profession. More information can be found on their website https://www.gold-foundation.org/