FSC Sophomore Nursing Students Receive White Coats at Ceremony

The next step for 92 Florida Southern College sophomore nursing students was taken on Friday night  Oct. 7, during the 2022 Nursing White Coat Ceremony.

The event took place at 5 p.m. in Branscomb Auditorium as the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences faculty helped usher in the next phase of their students’ experiential education experience.

The students will start their first nursing clinical practice at one of three agencies beginning the week of Oct. 24. Those agencies are Lake Gibson Village Health and Rehabilitation Center, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Lakeland, and Estates at Carpenters.

“The White Coat Ceremony highlights the caring and patient-centered aspect of the profession of nursing,” said Dr. Linda Foley, the Florida Southern College Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. “It marks the beginning of the clinical practices aspect of their education in nursing. We are excited for them to move to enter this phase as they commit to being caring, compassionate, and competent nurses.”

Florida Southern offers a direct-entry BSN program that it is only offered as a four-year curriculum. Students are admitted directly into the highly competitive program in their freshman year.
 

The evening began with a welcome address by Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Phillip Fiorello and then was followed by an invocation by Professor of Nursing Jennifer Cipriano.

The Dean of the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences and the Keith R. Berend Endowed Chair in Nursing, Dr. Linda Comer then introduced the program’s keynote speaker, Kristen Smith. She is the Vice President of Patient Services and the Chief Nursing Officer for BayCare Health Systems in the Polk County region.

Dr. Foley was up next to hand out the white coats, which was followed by the “Compassionate Care Pledge” and remarks from senior nursing student Emily Koehn ’23.

Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Jennie Florkey gave the closing remarks.

The Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences was recently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) programs. Additionally, Florida Southern’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program was re-accredited.

The CCNE, officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency, is an autonomous accrediting agency, contributing to the improvement of the public's health. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing. The initial certification of the DNP and APRN programs extends through 2025, while the re-accreditation of the MSN program carries through 2030.

View more photos from the White Coat Ceremony here.