Level One nursing students make history at Olivet Nazarene University

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BOURBONNAIS, IL (09/28/2017) Students entering Olivet Nazarene University's undergraduate nursing program in fall 2017 received a double honor. They became part of an outstanding Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree program at a top Christian university. And they participated in Olivet's first ever White Coat Ceremony, thanks to the generosity of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation (Gold Foundation) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Olivet is one of only 50 nursing schools in the country to receive funding to support the White Coat Ceremony for 2017. The tradition of this ceremony began in 1993 when Dr. Arnold Gold helped formally launch the first White Coat Ceremony for physicians. In 2014, the White Coat Ceremony was extended to incoming nursing students through a gift from Gold Foundation Trustee Elaine Adler and her late husband, Michael Adler.

During Olivet's ceremony on Friday, Sept. 22, each Level One student received a white lab coat and recited an oath, pledging their commitment to the profession and their patients. Dr. Tiffany Greer '97, director of nursing programs, along with several nursing faculty members, extended their congratulations and blessings to the students. Also attending were students' families, Olivet alumni and many friends.

Addressing the students and guests was Dr. Paul Dillinger '71, R.N., professor emeritus and one of the first graduates of Olivet's nursing program. As he gave a brief review of the program's history and a motivational message to the students, he said: "The joy of accomplishment and the commitment of the nursing faculty at Olivet have never changed."

Jenelle Wilson, a senior and president of Olivet's Nursing Students' Association, also addressed the students during the ceremony. "Nursing is not a job. It's a calling," she said. "God has called you to care for others and help them heal. We are called to spend that extra 10 minutes with our patients and to be Christian nurses."

This event was made possible with a grant from The Arnold P. Gold Foundation to support the Gold-AACN White Coat Ceremony for Nursing.

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 140 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet's 275-acre park-like main campus is in Bourbonnais, Illinois, 50 miles south of Chicago. Additional sites are in Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Grand Rapids and Grand Ledge, Michigan; Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year through study abroad opportunities, internships and worldwide mission trips.

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Contact:

Laura Warfel

Public Relations Specialist

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 60914

Olivet.edu

815-928-5403

lwwarfel@olivet.edu