A highlight of the academic year, the Ingram School of Nursing’s Professionalism Ceremony is a rite of passage for nursing students, allowing them to publicly affirm their personal and shared commitment to the nursing profession and to maintaining the highest standards in fulfilling their social contract with society.
Held in person on September 15, 2022, at Moyse Hall in the Arts Building, this moving ceremony was attended by close to 300 students in the BScN, BNI and MScA-N (Qualifying Year) programs, marking either their entry into the clinical setting or the continuation of their nursing studies. BNI Online students participated through videoconferencing, and the event was live-streamed, enabling parents and family members to witness this milestone event.
Serving as master of ceremonies, Professor Josée Bonneau, Associate Director – Education, thanked the students for choosing nursing and for selecting McGill University from the many competing nursing programs at universities across Canada and around the world. “We are grateful for the trust you have placed in us and confident that you will be a tremendous asset to our health care system,” she said.
Citing a 2017 Canada-wide poll that named nurses as the country’s most-trusted professionals, Professor Anita Gagnon, Associate Dean and Director of the ISoN, noted that during the pandemic, society’s admiration and respect for nurses increased even further. “Nurses provide 90% of all health care services worldwide. No other health care professional has such a broad and far-reaching role.”
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. David Eidelman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences congratulated the assembled students for committing themselves to the nursing profession at a critical time, in the midst of a global pandemic, and as nurses take on an expanding leadership role in healthcare. “As you celebrate this milestone and prepare for your upcoming clinical experiences, remember that as a McGill student, you have what it takes to strive toward the highest levels of professionalism in the delivery of nursing care,” he said.
Keynote speaker Stephanie Bumba, dynamic young nurse clinician at the McGill University Health Centre, proved to be a persuasive communicator who shared her passion for the nursing profession and her work as creator and host of an informative and entertaining web series called Ces afroscientifiques d'hier à aujourd'hui. Each episode features the life and work of Black scientists of African descent, shining a spotlight on the contributions of Black healthcare professionals in Quebec.
One-by-one, students were called to the stage to pose for photos with their respective program directors as they proudly wore their McGill Nursing ID badge. BNI Online students pinned themselves and their faces were flashed across the screen. The ceremony concluded with the entire group reciting aloud the Nursing Professionalism Oath aloud, created by and for McGill Nursing students, which reads in part:
I will endeavour to practice my profession with conscience and with dignity.
I will promote health for all through the holistic care of individuals, families and communities, upholding the highest standards of evidence-informed practice.
I will strive to embody the art of nursing by recognizing strengths, acting with compassion, wisdom, openness and presence.
I will commit to interdisciplinary collaboration and lifelong learning, building on my foundation of science and taking a leadership role to advance the development of my noble profession.