White coat ceremonies mark rite of passage

At the College of Dentistry, James O’Brien receives his white coat from Dr. Hany Makkawy. Photo by Peggy Cain.

The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage for students beginning their health care careers. Last week, 258 first-year students achieved that milestone in UNMC’s college of dentistry, medicine and pharmacy.

On Friday, (Aug. 20), 45 dental students and 24 dental hygiene students received their white coats during a ceremony in the Dixon Lecture Hall at the UNMC College of Dentistry in Lincoln.

“The journey you are about to begin is life-long, but your years of study here will launch you into your chosen field with skills and knowledge beyond what you can now imagine,” said College of Dentistry Dean John Reinhardt, D.D.S. “Your time here will go by quickly. You will work very hard, and you will be challenged every day to learn more and more.

“The white coat should indicate that you are a person patients can trust — a person with the knowledge and skills to maintain or restore good health; a person with compassion and empathy; a person who will treat people with the dignity, respect and confidentiality that our profession demands.”

From left: College of Medicine students Andrea Gomes, Jimmy Hynes, Jameca Price and Allison McGee. Photo by Karen Burbach.

On Friday, (Aug. 20), the next generation of doctors took flight, participating in the College of Medicine’s 2004 white coat ceremony. The 124 incoming students hail from 19 different states and nine different Nebraska colleges, said College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D.

“Learn to help each other,” Dr. Gollan said. “This is your biggest family and should be your second family,” he said, encouraging the group to also learn more about themselves.

“The white coat is a license to learn,” said Hadley Sharp of the Class of 2006. “It makes a statement that you’re fallible, forgivable and at times expendable.(it also grants you) a raw honesty from patients I never thought I was entitled to.”

Incoming College of Pharmacy students Kassandra Stone of Nehawka, right, and Anne Stoever of Milford, Iowa, read the Pledge of Professionalism after receiving their white coats. Photo by Bill O’Neill.

In the College of Pharmacy, 65 incoming students received their white coats from COP Alumni Association President John Skrabal, Pharm.D. The students also recited a pledge of professionalism, learned some basics of the college’s two departments, and heard remarks on professionalism from T. Mark Woods, Pharm.D. A 1984 graduate of the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Woods is the president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Dr. Woods compared the students’ professional journeys to that of Lewis and Clark 200 years ago, saying that at times, the journey will be both “exhilarating and exhausting.”

“It will be mentally challenging and, I can guarantee you, at times, it will be exhausting,” Dr. Woods said.

Editor’s Note: UNMC physician assistant students will have their white coat ceremony on Sept. 2. Watch UNMC Today for details.