The Rite of Passage to Medical School

Some 81 medical students donn their white coats for the first time

The Faculty of Medicine at AUB held its annual White Coat Ceremony (WCC) on June 15 at Issam Fares Hall. The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage to medical school, held in over ninety percent of American medical schools, usually at the start of the first year of medical school. At AUB, it is held at the beginning of the third year, just before the students embark on their clinical training.

This year, 81medical students participated in the WCC, during which they pledged the AUB version of the Hippocratic Oath and were officially cloaked in their white coats by Dean Nadim Cortas and Associate Dean Fuad Ziyadeh.

The ceremony and oath of dedication to the care of patients is a reminder to the students of the commitment needed to complete their medical education and assume the responsibilities that come with the profession of medicine. As such, the cloaking marks the start of a new beginning and a commitment to a profession distinguished by its selflessness and dedication to the help of others.

Dr. Cortas addressed the audience by congratulating the class of 2010, reminding them that the white coat "is not a sign that you have arrived, but that you have begun the journey that will last the rest of your life." He encouraged the students to embrace the journey and the responsibility that comes with it. "While at times, the going may seem to be hard, but it is well worth it. There is joy in the journey. I have loved my journey and continue to love it."

In his keynote address "Why Doctors Must Be Careful," Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, professor of medicine, philosopher, and director of the Bioethics Institute of New York Medical College, talked about the importance of care: "It is life that we serve. As clinicians, we understand this best when we come to understand the way our lives are so deeply connected with the lives of our patients." He closed his speech by reminding his audience that "in the face of all troubles that beset the healthcare professions, we need to renew ourselves by concentrating on the basis, on becoming again who we always have known we should be-physicians and surgeons who are full of care-humble, sincere, compassionate, and competent….May your white coats be a constant warning to be careful never to forget this truth."

Following Dr. Sulmasy's speech, the students took the Hippocratic Oath and donned their first white coats, symbolizing their admission into the community of physicians.

This year's White Coat Ceremony was supported for the first time by a grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a foundation committed to promoting humanism in medicine. The foundation furnished each student with a pin with the inscription, "Humanism in Medicine," denoting a common pledge to offering skilled and compassionate patient care.