VCU news

By Makeda Saggau-Sackey
University News Services

Members of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Class of 2009 marked the beginning of their medical education with the 10th annual White Coat Ceremony.

The ceremony is held annually at medical schools across the country, marking the beginning of a student's medical education. During the ceremony, students are cloaked by the school’s senior faculty as a precursor to their four-year journey to their medical degree.

According to School of Medicine officials, the white coat is a symbol of professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine that obligates the students to high standards of care.

“It is a non-verbal commitment that establishes the role of the doctor and patient relationship,” said James Messmer, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education.

At this year’s ceremony, held Aug. 11, each student was called to the stage to receive his or her coat in front of family and friends. Many traveled from hundreds of miles away to witness the occasion.

“This day is a blessing,” said Hannah Williams, mother of Derrick Williams, a first year VCU School of Medicine student. “We are so elated to see how much Derrick has accomplished in such short of a time.”

Deborah German, M.D., chair of the Association of American Medical College’s group on student affairs, was the keynote speaker for the ceremony.

“The White Coat Ceremony is an expression of our confidence in your ability to become the ideal doctor,” said German. “This is a magical moment … it is the beginning of the day that changes your life forever.”

For some students, the white coat symbolized the extension of a lifelong legacy. Some students were following in the path of their fathers, mothers and even great grandfathers who once were students at the VCU School of Medicine.

“I am proud to be part of such a strong family whose ancestors have made important contributions in their communities,” said Anne Miller Wilson, a fifth-generation medical school student whose great grandfather began the legacy in 1885. “I almost feel like they are on my side giving me support.”

Following the receipt of their white coats, students took the Hippocratic Oath, which stresses the primacy of the doctor-patient relationship.

The White Coat Ceremony was established in 1993 by Arnold Gold, M.D., at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Gold felt that students were reciting the Hippocratic Oath four years too late. The White Coat Ceremony obligates students to the highest standard of care at the beginning of their medical education and binds them to this standard for the rest of their careers.