Nursing Students Inducted at Annual White Coat Ceremony

Surrounded by family and friends who offered cheers
and support, 38 nursing students at Southwest Tennessee
Community College mark the start of their professional
journey at the annual White Coat Ceremony.

Southwest welcomed 38 nursing students into the program on Sept. 22 during the annual White Coat Ceremony at the Nathan Essex Nursing, Natural Sciences and Biotechnology auditorium on the Union Avenue Campus, marking a symbolic step in their journey toward the profession.

Faculty, family and friends gathered to celebrate the students’ commitment to compassionate care and professional integrity. As each donned the white coat for the first time, they joined a tradition that blends science with humanity.

Dr. Sheila Bouie tells new nursing students to serve
with purpose.

“This milestone signifies not only the pursuit of knowledge, but also the embrace of responsibility, compassion and service,” Dr. Sheila Bouie, dean of nursing, told the audience. “The white coat is far more than just a garment. It is a symbol of your commitment to healing and your pledge to serve with integrity.”

Students were reminded that nursing is “not just a career, it is a calling” that demands courage, sacrifice, humility and empathy.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center Assistant Professor, Dr. Deundra Hearne, sharing her experience as a breast cancer survivor, spoke about the impact of empathetic care. She recalled her chemotherapy nurse whose presence transformed her treatment. “It was beyond just her clinical skills,” Hearne said. “It carried intention, humility and deep compassion. Through her, I understood what it means for a nurse’s presence to change a patient’s entire experience.”

She urged the students to be intentional in their work. “Another human’s experience in this world may very well depend on it. One of the only things as impactful as compassionate care is the absence of it — and that absence, too, can be remembered.”

The ceremony also honored the families and loved ones who supported the students. “Your encouragement, sacrifices, and belief in these students have helped carry them here today,” Bouie said.

As the class stepped forward to receive their coats, they were charged with upholding the values of service, resilience and hope. “Wear your white coat with pride, but also with courage,” Bouie said. “Let it remind you that you belong to a profession built on healing, learning and leading with compassion.”

The inductees now begin the next phase of their education, prepared to meet challenges ahead with persistence, integrity and kindness — qualities that will define their careers and the care they provide.

Thirty-eight new nursing students slipped on their white coats as the newest cohort set to graduate in Spring 2027.