White Coat Ceremony for Med III Class of 2011

White coat ceremony Class of 2011

The White Coat Ceremony for the Med III class of 2011 took place on June 12, 2009 at Issam Fares Hall. Attending the event were Vice President for Medical Affairs and Raja N. Khuri Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Nadim Cortas, Associate Dean for Medical Affairs Fuad Ziyadeh, master of ceremonies Dr. Sami Sanjad, and Assistant Dean for Medical Education Ramzi Sabra.

The ceremony started with the processional and was followed by Dr. Sanjad’s opening of the ceremony.

He was followed by Dean Cortas’ address to the audience. He said, “I congratulate all members of the class of 2011 who through their hard work and perseverance have earned their entry into the clinical years of the MD program.” He stressed the students’ important role as health care professionals, and observed, “Your days will now be filled with new challenges with many satisfying experiences and a rewarding and challenging future.” He urged them to remain attentive throughout the remainder of their learning period at AUB and to value the lessons they are taught. He stressed, “This coat is not a sign that you have arrived, but that you have begun the journey that will last for the rest of your life. It is a symbol of belonging to a profession of passion, commitment, and privilege to care for the health and well-being of our community.” He concluded, “Your future is limited only by your ambition, honesty, imagination, and desire to move forward to become an exemplary physician.” He also offered a word of thanks to the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for sponsoring the ceremony.

As keynote speaker, Dr. Ziyadeh congratulated the students, adding, “To publicly pledge the oath now represents a very strong affirmation of how serious you view your profession and your personal responsibilities as caring physicians . . . In my own view, I also see that the primary value of such a ceremony is to affirm that each and every one of you will strive to be worthy of your patient’s trust.” He stressed the need for trust in the physician-patient relationship, observing that the white coat itself “conveys a certain bonding between the physician and the patient, a bonding which is rooted in mutual trust.”

His address was followed by the introduction and administration of the Hippocratic Oath by Cortas, and later by the cloaking of each student. The ceremony ended with a recessional and a reception. In a white coat ceremony, students are cloaked in the white coat symbolizing their transition from preclinical to clinical health sciences.