Connect

Hundreds of students and their loved ones gathered for the School of Nursing’s annual Undergraduate Recognition and White Coat Ceremony in Old Cabell Hall Oct. 26, part of UVA’s Family Weekend of events. During the ceremony, all undergraduate students — 495 members strong — earned pins to mark their progression through the baccalaureate program. To mark the advent of their clinical rotations and the transition from practice environments to real, live, human patients, second-year BSN students took part in the annual White Coat Ceremony, a moment when they read aloud the nursing student pledge and don a white coat with the help of a “cloaker,” a loved one of their choosing.

Dean Marianne Baernholdt, who presented each student crossing the stage with a pin, noted that the student body entering in fall 2024 is the most diverse in School history: 54% of students are from underrepresented and minority communities, including the 13% that are men and 33% who are first-generation college attendees. Baernholdt also took time to salute family members and loved ones present at the ceremony, many of whom traveled great distances to be with their student at this important juncture.

“Special people become nurses,” said Baernholdt, “due in large part to the people and places that nurtured them. We know that where our students come from is just as exceptional as who they are. From families, friends, and faculty, we than you for all you have done to get these students where they are today.”

Nursing Student Pledge

As we enter a multigenerational community, we pledge to move forward and be a part of the next generation of nursing by learning from the past to make an even greater difference in the future. By taking this pledge, we each promise to do the following:

I will not make insensitive and condescending statements or participate in any other actions of incivility against my fellow colleagues, educators, or patients. 

I will not just take orders, but I will be empowered to fully understand them; to question when necessary; and in doing so remembering: to be respected, I must respect. 

I will not only advocate with the utmost integrity and lack of bias, but also show true compassion and beneficence on behalf of my patients, coworkers, and myself.

I will continue to work hard to build an environment of true inclusivity and cultural humility. I will not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or discrimination of any kind. 

I will not only be known for educating and taking care of my patients, but also for educating and taking care of myself, so I can be an active professional for the sake of my future patients, for the sake of my fellow colleagues, and for the sake of the future of this healthcare system.

I pledge to be a Next Generation Nurse.