KOKOMO, Ind. —Fourteen nurses donned the symbol of their mission to become primary health care providers, and the trust placed in them by patients, at Indiana University Kokomo’s White Coat ceremony Monday (August 7).
With proud family and friends in the audience, each student in the School of Nursing’s Family Nurse Practitioner (F.N.P.) program crossed the Kresge Auditorium stage, to put on the white coat for the first time. They earned the garment by completing the first two of seven semesters of the program.
“The importance of this ceremony is not the white coat, but rather what it symbolizes,” said Mary Bourke, interim dean. “It is the transition from foundational courses to the actual process of learning the knowledge and skills to become nurse practitioners.”
An F.N.P. is an advanced practice registered nurse who serves as a primary health care provider to patients of all ages. The School of Nursing launched the graduate-level program in January, in partnership with Community Howard Regional Health, which is providing the program financially and assisting with clinical practicum placements for students.
The white coat signifies the purity of their mission to provide care for the sick and infirm, and to comfort the dying.
“It also symbolizes the trust that is implied when one wears the white coat,” Bourke said. “This is a sacred trust between a patient and their primary care provider.”
A unique feature of the program is that it provides these placements for its students, rather than requiring them to find their own. Other regional healthcare systems and medical practitioners also are providing opportunities for students to complete the 600 required clinical hours.
Students honored included
Delphi: Kelsey Rader
Frankfort: Connie Tishner
Indianapolis: Matthew Amayun
Kokomo: Donna Campbell, Allison Cardwell, Sarah Dollens, Stella Taber
Lafayette: Emily Newlin
Marion: Amber Banks
Plainfield: Mavis Mvundura
Russiaville: Rebecca King
Somerset: Joanna Moore
Swayzee: Heather Roy
Tipton: Zackery Timm
For more information about IU Kokomo’s F.N.P. program, contact Bourke at 765-455-9326, or mbourke@iuk.edu.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.