More than 90 Samford University nursing students took an important step in their education as they received their white coats during Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing's White Coat Ceremony at the Wright Center. 

The ceremony marks the start of students' clinical education and reminds them of the responsibility that comes with caring for others. Each student received a white coat and commemorative pin, symbolizing a commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care. 

For Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing, that commitment is rooted in a legacy of caring that has shaped generations of Samford nurses. 

During the ceremony, students were asked to hold out their hands. Healthcare professionals throughout the Wright Center were invited to do the same as a prayer of blessing was offered over the hands that will care for patients, comfort families and serve others throughout their careers. 

The moment connected students beginning their clinical experiences with the nurses, faculty members and healthcare professionals who have walked before them. 

The White Coat Ceremony has been a tradition at Samford since 2014, when the nursing school was one of 100 schools nationwide selected to pilot white coat ceremonies for nursing students. The ceremonies were created to emphasize the importance of compassionate care as students prepare to enter clinical practice. 

As the newest group of Moffett & Sanders nursing students put on their white coats, the ceremony served as both a milestone in their education and a reminder of the calling that comes with it: to care for others with compassion, skill and purpose.