Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., presents first-year medical student Kelly Williamson with her white coat at last week’s event. (photo by Anne Rayner)
White coats fit new medical students just fine
Having recently completed the two-week course, Foundations of the Profession, the 104 members of the first-year class of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine received their traditional white coats in ceremonial style.
Vanessa Buie and her classmates recite the Oath for Teachers and Learners of Medicine at Vanderbilt. (photo by Anne Rayner)
The 104 members of the School of Medicine’s incoming class pose for photos after the ceremony. (photo by Anne Rayner)
The ceremony took place last Friday in 208 Light Hall, filled to capacity with students, proud family members and white coat sponsors, which include alumni, faculty, parents and friends of the School of Medicine.
The donning of the white coat marks the official entrance into medical school for the members of VUSM's new class.
Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of VUSM, welcomed the enthusiastic crowd and promptly introduced Bonnie Miller, M.D., senior associate dean for Health Sciences Education, who gave the convocation this year.
White coat ceremonies, now a common practice among medical schools, represent a rite of passage to mark the transition from regular student to medical student. Miller asked the students to reflect on the white coat as the ultimate symbol of the wise, caring and knowledgeable physician.
“I have to trust that you students have learned the lessons of the past two weeks. That beneficence and altruism form the backbone of the healing arts; that curiosity sustains us; that balancing our own beliefs with those of our patients requires exquisite self awareness,” Miller said.
“Compassion heals both doctor and patient and rescues us from the insidious trap of becoming amateur human beings.”
Miller passed out the white coats with the help of Scott Rodgers, M.D., associate dean for Medical Student Affairs; John Zic, M.D., associate dean for Admissions; and George C. Hill, Ph.D., associate dean for Diversity in Medical Education.