Keynote Speaker Shares Impact of Nurses at SLU School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony

ST. LOUIS — The Saint Louis University Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing held its White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2026. It’s an event celebrated nationwide and marks an important milestone for students as they progress toward becoming baccalaureate nurses in their health care education.

The ceremony was held Friday, Sept. 22, at St. Francis Xavier College Church and livestreamed on YouTube. 

“We are privileged to recognize you as you enter clinical experience,” said Danny Willis, DNS, dean of SLU's School of Nursing. “May you live out your role as a professional nurse with compassion, empathy, integrity, intelligence, science-based principles, caring and courage as you serve as men and women for and with others.”

After an invocation by Erin Fitzpatrick, director of campus ministry, Willis introduced the keynote speaker Falisha Hoffman, a mother whose nine-year-old son, Jaxsen Halfhill, passed away on Sept. 5th, 2021. 

A Mother’s Love

As Hoffman delivered the keynote address, she described nurses' significant impact and role on her family's life. 

Jaxsen was diagnosed with Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a form of chronic lung disease that affects newborns due to prematurity, and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. 

Jaxsen spent many of his short years on Earth at various hospitals. He required a tracheotomy at five months and lived on a ventilator his entire life. Hoffman says his life might have looked “awful” to the outside world but explains that her son was “always full of joy” thanks to nurses who went “above and beyond the call of duty.” 

Compassion and empathy are essential qualities not necessarily taught in the classroom, but she feels nurses should embody them. It’s how Hoffman and her family made the best of a difficult situation. From birthday celebrations and holiday gatherings to Jaxsen’s first outing to the zoo surrounded by an entourage of medical staff, nurses were there through it all.

“It was those nurses from the beginning to the end who helped me hold my tiny baby for the first time with wires all wrapped around him, to the nurse that sat next to me when I signed which organs I wanted to donate, and the very last one who helped me mold his foot at nine years old,” she recalled.

Jaxsen went on to save the lives of four people through organ donation. Hoffman thanked the nurses at his honor walk, a ceremonial event to commemorate a patient whose organs are donated, and those who attended his funeral service and showed up to memorialize his first heavenly birthday.

“The nurses didn't just do this for a job. They did it because they loved being with people,” she said. “And as you progress in this career, no matter what nursing path you take, I hope you realize that your kindness, compassion and empathy will make a huge difference.”

A Rite of Passage

Renee L. Davis, DNP, associate professor of nursing and level two coordinator of the traditional BSN program, and Karen M. Cuvar, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing and level one coordinator of the traditional BSN program, presented 137 students with their white lab coats.

The act confirmed the students' commitment to the noble nursing profession and the mission of the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing: promoting quality health care for individuals, families and communities to alleviate ignorance, poverty, injustice and hunger.

Nikki Rogers, nursing simulation coordinator, presented the students with pins provided by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a nonprofit organization that champions humanism in health care.

Next, in unison with faculty and staff, the students recited the health profession’s covenant, affirming their commitment to serve with honor, compassion, and dignity.

SLU's Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing White Coat Ceremony

About Arnold P. Gold Foundation

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a nonprofit organization that champions humanism in healthcare, which we define as compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent care. Founded in 1988, the Gold Foundation strengthens humanism by setting standards with rituals and recognition, sparking action through tools and events, and building communities, such as the Gold Humanism Honor Society, to support and activate advocates of compassionate care.

About Valentine School of Nursing

Founded in 1928, the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University has achieved a national reputation for its innovative and pioneering programs. Offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral nursing programs, its faculty members are nationally recognized for their teaching, research, and clinical expertise.