Texas Tech Health El Paso conducts new Hunt School of Nursing Students in White Coat Ceremony
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The White Coat Ceremony for Hunt School of Nursing Winter Cohort is taking place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 at the Academic Education Center Auditorium, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus, located at 4800 Alberta Ave. In the spirit of tradition and a nod to the future, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is ushering in a new era of nursing education for the Hunt School of Nursing's winter 2024 cohort.
An important rite of passage for future health care professionals, the White Coat Ceremony not only marks the students' entry into the profession but also symbolizes the institution's dedication to cultivating local talent. The ceremony marks the beginning of the students' educational journey at the Hunt School of Nursing, as they embark on its Accelerated B.S.N. program.
This intensive 16-month program culminates in a bachelor’s degree in nursing, placing them on a path to a meaningful and high-income career in our Borderplex hospitals and across the globe. The winter cohort consists of 78 students, with the majority coming from the El Paso region. The Hunt School of Nursing is dedicated to growing our own local nurses to address the region’s critical nurse shortage and other unique community health needs along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Most of the school’s graduating nurses remain in the region to practice. Each student will receive a white coat embroidered with the Hunt School of Nursing seal. The coat symbolizes the cloak of compassion, reminding each during their careers of the importance of humility when it comes providing care to their community. Nursing student, Ernezzto Josue Rizo says "it feels honestly super blessed, all of us worked really hard and we're super excited to have this new beginning in our lives".
