UMass Chan presents 59 DNP students with white coats symbolizing a ‘beacon of hope’

The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School presented 59 Doctor of Nursing Practice students with white coats on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in a celebration signifying the transition into clinical practice.

The fragrance of fresh flowers filled the air in the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium as family, friends, significant others and faculty gathered to support the advanced practice nurses.

“As your dean, I am privileged to be the first nurse to congratulate each and every one of you,” said Joan Vitello-Cicciu, PhD, RN, the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Nursing, dean of the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and professor of nursing. “Patients are entrusting you with their lives, presenting more complex health challenges than ever before. They seek not just medical expertise, but also your empathetic and emotional support.”

“As you are advancing nursing practice, you will enrich the lives of your patients by encouraging them to embrace evidence-based practice and pertinent data,” continued Dean Vitello-Cicciu. “You will be the beacon of hope and guidance in their darkest hours. The future of nursing shines very brightly in your capable hands.”

“This is a very joyful occasion,” said Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. “It’s a very momentous occasion as you don your white coats to take on this new role—the mantle of being a provider.”

Jeannece Batista, a student from Worcester in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track, explained that the white coat was traditionally presented to medical students and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing adopted the practice to signify transitioning as advanced providers.

“It’s this encompassing world and we’re all united. We’re all working together for the better purpose of health care,” Batista said.

Israh Abdeljaber, a student from Chicago in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track, was excited that her parents, husband, in-laws and grandparents had traveled to support her.

“Nursing provides empathy for people and we do it with our heart,” said Abdeljaber. “To me, the white coat represents interprofessional care. As nurse practitioners, we will be working with doctors and other professionals in our field. It demonstrates being providers together to help our population.”

“Nursing provides a holistic approach,” said Batista. “It’s the best part about it. We’re treating a person, not a disease. That’s why we’re here.”