White Coat Ceremony marks MC nursing students’ entry into clinical learning

The white coats are emblematic of School of Nursing students who are eligible to celebrate their entrance into patient care.

About 70 first-semester students in the School of Nursing at Mississippi Christian University (MC) will mark their entrance into clinical learning and their commitment to Christian, compassionate caring by participating in the school’s White Coat Ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in Swor Auditorium in Nelson Hall.

The coats are emblematic of those who have met all of the requirements to become nursing students and are eligible to celebrate their entrance into patient care.

Callie Tate, MC instructor of nursing, said the ceremony, which represents a major milestone in the nursing students’ careers, will be particularly special because it falls within the University’s bicentennial year.

“It will be the first in which we announce our students as Mississippi Christian University School of Nursing students,” said Tate, who was a member of the first MC class to participate in the White Coat Ceremony in 2015. “The ceremony welcomes first-semester nursing students into the profession, emphasizing the integration of compassionate care, scientific excellence and Christian faith.”

The White Coat Ceremony is esteemed in nursing as a powerful reminder of the trust and responsibility placed in future nurses. By participating in the ceremony, MC School of Nursing students promise to uphold the standards of professional nursing practice with pride and diligence and to work with others in cooperation for the improvement of healthcare services.

Lisa Eichelberger, dean emerita for the MC School of Nursing, will serve as guest speaker at the ceremony.

Following Eichelberger’s address, the first-semester students will ascend to the stage in pairs to receive their coats from graduating students in the School of Nursing Class of 2026, symbolizing the passing of knowledge, skill and dedication. The students and all healthcare professionals in attendance will then receive a “Blessing of the Hands,” asking for God’s protection, guidance and wisdom as the students move into the profession of nursing.

Following the blessing, the first-semester students will receive a pocket-sized New Testament from the Gideons International as a reminder of their call to Christian caring. Then, first-semester students will collectively recite the MC School of Nursing creed. Throughout the entire event, students are reminded of their sacred calling to serve with skill, integrity, and compassion.

Mary Grace Paladino, a graduating MC School of Nursing student from Charleston, South Carolina, received her white coat in spring 2025. She said she is looking forward to coating a first-year student during the ceremony.

“Nursing is so much more than just a career, and the White Coat Ceremony was my challenge to carry the compassion of Christ with me as I served and learned in nursing school,” Paladino said. “As I prepare to graduate, the White Coat Ceremony has come full circle for me. I pray the students beginning clinical practice for the first time will also view nursing as a mission field and carry the compassion of Christ wherever they go.

“At MC, the ceremony means more than just starting clinical practice. It is a challenge to see every patient that God places in your path as an image-bearer worthy of dignity and respect.”

All family and friends of first-semester School of Nursing students are invited to the ceremony. For more information, email Tate at ctate@mc.edu.