Students in Ramapo’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program participated in a White Coat Ceremony as a reminder to be patient advocates as they begin their clinical experiences.

June 12, 2025

By Lauren Ferguson

A group of Ramapo College of New Jersey nursing students who are beginning the clinical portion of their education were cloaked in white coats and given pins during a ceremony to remind them to place patients first at all times.

The White Coat Ceremony – held in front of family, friends and professors at Friends Hall on Ramapo’s picturesque Mahwah campus – signified the students’ entrance into the nursing profession and their concentration on humanistic, or patient-centered care.

“The cloaking of the individual represents that you have now entered into the profession and it is your responsibility at this particular point to be the strong patient advocate, to always make the patient feel safe,” said Kathleen Burke, assistant dean of Ramapo’s nursing program. “Don’t sit there and look at all the monitors, but look at the person attached to all those monitors.”

Kathleen Burke, assistant dean of Ramapo’s nursing program, presented students with white coats.

Prior to the ceremony, the students’ nursing education had taken place in the classroom. The start of clinicals means they will begin learning alongside experienced nurses in hospitals and medical settings throughout New Jersey.

The students who participated in the ceremony are part of Ramapo’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, which allows qualified students to complete their nursing degrees in as little as 16 or 24 months. The College launched the full-time program in 2024 to help fill New Jersey’s nursing shortage, and will graduate its first cohort in August.

The program is geared toward those already holding an undergraduate degree who are interested in a career change to nursing, as well as those working in healthcare who wish to become Registered Nurses (RNs) with a BSN, and community college students with a non-nursing associate’s degree who want to earn a BSN.

During the White Coat Ceremony, Ramapo President Dr. Cindy Jebb told nursing students that they, as nurses, will be advocates for patients, their families, and their needs. “Their lives will be touched by your care and your lives will be touched by caring for them,” Jebb said.

“I am proud of you – all that you have achieved to arrive at this point in time and of all that you will personally gain and grow by being in service to others,” Jebb said.

Students recited the Ramapo School of Nursing Pledge.

The ceremony ended with students reciting the Ramapo School of Nursing Pledge.

“I pledge to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, accountability, confidentiality and professionalism, in all my written work, spoken words, actions and interactions with patients, families, peers and faculty…I will work to safeguard the health and welfare of clients who have placed their trust in me and will advocate for the client’s best interest,” students recited as part of the pledge.

The White Coat Ceremony tradition was started in 1994 by Dr. Arnold P. Gold and the Gold Foundation that promotes humanism in healthcare. Dr. Gold believed that healthcare students should be reminded early on of their ethical responsibilities to patients. The ceremonies were expanded to nursing students in 2014, when the foundation formed a partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, thanks to the passion and generosity of Elaine and Myron Adler. The Adlers, long supporters of Ramapo College, also donated $2 million to the College to establish the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence, home to Ramapo’s highly-acclaimed nursing programs.

Nursing students were presented with white coats.

To learn more about nursing at Ramapo College, visit ramapo.edu/nursing.