Vesting ceremony welcomes students to nursing profession
VCU School of Nursing held a vesting ceremony recently for members of the Accelerated B.S. Class of 2020 to mark the start of their journey in the nursing profession. More than 97 students, along with their families and friends, attended the ceremony in the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building auditorium.
Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean and professor, welcomed students to nursing and described the origin and significance of the school’s vesting ceremony.
“Hospitals and other health care providers nationwide have implemented the Bare Below the Elbow practice of wearing short sleeves, no wristwatches, no ties, and no jewelry during clinical practice,” said Giddens. “Research shows that the clothing and jewelry of health care providers is highly colonized with bacteria that has the potential to be transferred from patient to patient. To reflect this change in practice, we have changed our ceremony to mark your start in the nursing profession with the donning of vests instead of white coats.”
School of Nursing faculty participated in the ceremony, helping students to don their vests. The ceremony also included a presentation on the evolution of nursing uniforms.
View more photos from the event on the school’s Facebook page.
