Nearly 40 students from the Mount Saint Mary College Nurse Practitioner program were honored at the winter 2024 white coat ceremony on Friday, December 13.
The graduates’ white coats were presented to them by their chosen family members, from spouses and children to parents and grandparents.
The ceremony reflected the students’ transition to the professional nurse practitioner role. Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who provide high quality healthcare services. They can diagnose, treat, and prescribe across a wide range of health problems.
After welcome speeches by Marilyn Lashlee, associate professor of Nursing and School of Nursing Graduate Coordinator, and Dr. Robert Gervasi, president of the Mount, students and their families enjoyed a congratulatory message from both Ann Marie Brooks, Interim Dean of the School of Nursing, and Anne-Marie Uebbing, associate professor of Nursing.
Graduate Nicola Broughton of Newburgh, N.Y. was selected to discuss the group’s progression through the Mount’s nurse practitioner program.
“Over the last several years we have taken on this journey, filled with late nights, rigorous coursework, long clinical days, moments of celebration [and] moments of doubt,” she said. “We are here today because of our sheer commitment to providing competent, compassionate care. Our journey has been challenging at times, yet we remain focused on the continued impact we have made – and will continue to make – on the communities we serve.”
After the graduates received their white coats, Carolyn Hoffman-Kaminski of Wingdale, N.Y. and Emma Sabini of New Windsor, N.Y. were recognized for excellence in their studies with the Sigma Award. Likewise, Chelsea Pal of Fishkill, N.Y. was honored with the Sr. Leona DeBoer Graduate Nursing Award, named after one of the Dominican Sisters who founded the Nursing major at the Mount.