Ritual ceremony emphasizes the human connection in healthcare.
Fifty schools of nursing nationwide have been selected to receive funding to host White Coat/Oath Ceremonies—a ritual designed to highlight the importance of compassionate care to nursing students early in their professional formation.
"The compassionate connection that nurses forge with their patients is the foundation of humanistic healthcare—care that all people deserve," said Dr. Richard I. Levin, president and CEO of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, in making the announcement via a press release.
"We are delighted to join with American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to support 50 schools of nursing in establishing this humanistic ritual and emphasizing the importance of the human connection in their future care," Levin said.
When nurses and other healthcare providers build caring, trusting, and collaborative relationships with patients, studies reveal a connection to better care decisions, improved patient adherence to treatment plans, and less costly healthcare outcomes.
"Quality healthcare is not possible without compassion," said Dr. Deborah Trautman, AACN president and CEO. "Academic nursing is grateful to the Gold Foundation for their groundbreaking work to help all members of the healthcare team understand the importance of delivering patient-centered care."
Though White Coat/Oath Ceremonies are not new in the health professions, they are relatively new to nursing. Since 2013, AACN and the Gold Foundation have worked together to implement this rite of passage in nursing, which has resulted in 410 schools of nursing in 50 states including the District of Columbia, receiving support as part of this initiative.
While these seeding grants are limited each year, all nursing schools are eligible to receive Gold lapel pins for their nursing students participating in White Coat/Oath Ceremonies. The pins include a signature Gold loop, which represents the essential bond between clinicians and patients, and serve as a reminder of their ceremony.
View a list of nursing schools selected to receive funding from the Gold Foundation to offer White Coat/Oath Ceremonies in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters.
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.