SLU’s First Joint White Coat Ceremony Brings Nursing Pathways Together

09/29/2025

ST. LOUIS — Saint Louis University’s Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing held its White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 26, at St. Francis Xavier College Church. For the first time, students from all three nursing pathways —the traditional four-year BSN, the 12-month accelerated BSN, and the RN-to-BSN program —were honored together in a unified celebration.

The White Coat Ceremony, a tradition observed across the U.S., marks a pivotal milestone in the journey of health professions students. The symbolic cloaking in white coats represents the students’ formal commitment to compassionate, ethical, and professional care. 

Nicole Armstrong, campus minister of SLU’s south campus, opened the ceremony with an invocation that honored the unique and powerful role of nurses. Drawing from her experience as a hospital chaplain, she expressed deep admiration for nurses’ ability to balance strength and compassion, noting that they are often the most consistent and memorable presence for patients and families.

Armstrong emphasized the sacred nature of nursing work, which spans both routine tasks and life-altering moments, and acknowledged the emotional depth required to witness both joy and grief. She encouraged students to find supportive communities and to recognize their own value and impact. She concluded with a prayer asking for peace, comfort, and strength for the students as they embark on their journey in health care.

Following Armstrong’s invocation, keynote speaker Jerry Durham, Ph.D., chancellor and distinguished professor of nursing emeritus at Allen College, took the stage to share insights from his distinguished 52-year career in nursing. Durham is a three-time alumnus of SLU and is the newest member of the Dean's Executive Advisory Board at the Valentine School of Nursing.

Durham emphasized the far-reaching impact nurses have—not only on individual patients but on entire communities—comparing their influence to ripples spreading across water. He reminded students that nursing is both a science and an art, requiring compassion, critical thinking, and a strong educational foundation.

“If caring were enough, anyone could be a nurse,” Durham said. “Nursing requires extensive education, critical thinking, and a strong scientific foundation to provide safe and effective patient care.”

Durham also highlighted the importance of peer support and the lifelong friendships that often form during nursing school. He encouraged students to embrace their calling with passion and purpose, urging them to pursue nursing not just as a career, but to make meaningful change in the world.

Students were presented with pins provided by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, whose mission is to elevate the standard of health care through compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent care. As students exited the altar, they had their hands blessed, a ritual that honors the the instruments that will provide comfort, care, and healing in the years ahead.

Students, faculty, and health professionals stood united to recite the Health Professions Covenant led by Kris L'Ecuyer, Ph.D., interim dean of the Valentine School of Nursing. Armstrong returned to the podium to offer a benediction. As the ceremony concluded, students left not only cloaked in white coats but also uplifted by a shared sense of purpose, ready to begin their journey as compassionate caregivers and change makers in health care.