Medical White Coat Ceremony

At the ceremony students receive their first white coat in front of family and friends medical school administration and their peers.

Medical white coat ceremony. At the ceremony students are welcomed by their deans the president of the hospital or other respected leaders who represent the value system of the school and the new profession the students are about to enter. The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage that serves to welcome new medical students to the profession and reinforce the value of humanism as foundational to medicine. The first white coat ceremony took place in 1993 at the columbia university college of physicians surgeons. The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage for medical students and was created by the arnold p.

Arnold gold was a professor of clinical neurology and professor of clinical pediatrics there. The white coat ceremony wcc is a relatively new ritual when in some medical md do physician assistant dental optometry speech language pathology audiology osteopathy chiropractic dietitians occupational therapy physical therapy podiatric pharmacy pathologists assistant nursing naturopathic and veterinary schools that marks the student s transition from the study of. Gold foundation in 1993. It also symbolizes professionalism caring and trust which they must earn from patients according to an essay providing historical perspective on the doctor s white coat that was published in the ama journal of.

After the white coat lecture came the robing ceremony all 250 or so new medical students had been presented with a short white coat by the medical school and as each student s name was called by a senior member of the faculty several others including the dean of medicine and doctors from the school who were well respected for their. At the time dr. The ceremony signifies the beginning of medical students journeys to achieve the long white coat when they are physicians. First white coat hanger pharmacist gift new doctor gift phd gift white coat ceremony medical school graduation custom lab coat hanger 4 9 out of 5 stars 60 17 99 17.

A white coat ceremony or similar rite of passage now takes place at nearly all u s. Gold foundation specifically for entering medical students. The white coat ceremony for medicine. Medical schools as well as at osteopathic schools of medicine and schools in several other countries.

During the ceremony a white coat is placed on each student s shoulders and often the hippocratic oath is recited signifying their entrance into the medical profession. A downloadable program for the event as well as photos of students picking up their coats can be viewed on the white coat ceremony page. The white coat ceremony was originated by the arnold p.