POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — The Armstrong McDonald School of Nursing (AMSON) at College of the Ozarks held its 17th annual White Coat Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. Twenty-three members of the class of 2026 were coated.
Dr. Janice Williams, director of The Armstrong McDonald School of Nursing, began the ceremony by welcoming parents and administrators. The event was held in the Royal Oak Forum at The Keeter Center. 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 the students with their Bible to use in their practice of healing.
The guest speaker was Laura Paul, who graduated from AMSON with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2015. After graduation, Paul began her nursing career at Cox Medical Center Branson, working in the critical care unit for a few years. She then served as a hospital supervisor, and then as an assistant nurse manager. She was recruited as an adjunct clinical faculty in 2017, and now she currently teaches as an assistant professor at AMSON.
“The purpose of the White Coat Ceremony is to continue a special tradition for students preparing to enter the hospital arena of patient care. It is an exciting next step, which also brings with it a solemn responsibility. The white coat, in nursing and other medical professions, symbolizes clinical service and excellence in care,” Williams said.
Each student was coated by a senior nursing major, members of the class of 2025. 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.
Following are the junior nursing majors who received their white coats at the 17th annual White Coat Ceremony:
- Sarah Alcantar from Pittsburg, Kansas
- Abigail Baker from Raymore, Missouri
- Gerima Blair from Newton, Idaho
- Mason Cole from Ava, Missouri
- Hopelynn Cummings from Hastings, Oklahoma
- Katelyn Day from Kansas City, Missouri
- Katriana DiRienzo from Davis, Michigan
- Peace Emmanuel from Nigeria
- Ian Fowler from Nevada, Missouri
- Courtney Freiburger from Verona, Missouri
- Yoonwoo Ha from Korea
- Isaiah Hatcher from Grant, Nebraska
- Abigail Hawk from Nevada City, California
- Micheala Holt from Plato, Missouri
- Sol Jin from Korea
- Zoe Johnson from Carthage, Missouri
- Sara Lee from Korea
- Lillyanne McCool from Mountain View, Arkansas
- HayLee McLain from Jefferson City, Missouri
- Madelyn Ristow from Fairbanks, Alaska
- Sophia Saint from Douglas, Wyoming
- Lucia Schleeter from Kansas City, Missouri
- Sidney Ward from Niangua, Missouri
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/
For additional information, contact Public Relations Director Valorie Coleman at (417) 690-2212.
About College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and financial responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 1 Most Innovative School in the Midwest, No. 1 Best Value Regional College in the Midwest, and No. 1 Top Performer on Social Mobility in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2022-23. College of the Ozarks also earned No. 1 Best Christian Colleges and Universities by College Consensus for 2022 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly for 2022. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.
The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — consistently earns TripAdvisor® Traveler’s Choice Awards. It features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.
Follow College of the Ozarks at www.facebook.com/collegeoftheozarks or on Twitter @CofOHardWorkU.
College of the Ozarks
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Valorie Coleman Public Relations Director
- September 25, 2024
- (417) 690-2212
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