More than 200 doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) and doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at Georgia Campus 鈥� 黑料传送门 (GA-黑料传送门) in Suwanee, Georgia, received their white coats on Friday, October 19, 2018, at formal ceremonies held at the Infinite Energy Theater in Duluth, Georgia.
The two ceremonies were attended by faculty members, family and friends of the students who observed the traditional donning of the white coats, a rite of passage symbolic of healthcare professionals鈥� commitment to their patients and communities.
DO ceremony keynote speaker Jason Milton, DO 鈥�14, of Clarkesville, Georgia, a DO graduate of GA-黑料传送门 and a current neurological surgery senior resident who also earned Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration degrees, said, 鈥淚鈥檓 from a blue-collar family where I always learned the importance of hard work and discipline.鈥�
He compared the white coat to a tool belt. 鈥淚t held all my pocket references and my stethoscope, but in the theoretical sense, it also held the many tools given to me by professors, mentors, instructors, advisors, attendings and colleagues.鈥�
A few of the tools that he said helped him find success along his path include: taking pride in appearance; being an example for others to follow; treating everyone with respect; discipline; ambition; and staying positive. 鈥淚 encourage you all to be relentless in your pursuit of education and to add as many tools to your belts as possible,鈥� he said.
Class of 2022 Representative Christian Pruitt (DO 鈥�22) addressed his classmates. 鈥淭oday we are here to acknowledge and celebrate how far we鈥檝e come and to accept the incredible responsibility of being a physician-in-training. We are now student doctors and, after today, we have the wardrobe to prove it.鈥�
School of Pharmacy Dean and Chief Academic Officer Shawn Spencer, PhD, RPh, suggested that the Pharmacy Class of 2022 congratulate themselves for making the decision to embark on the journey toward a pharmacy degree. 鈥淧harmacy holds a special place in our society 鈥� we are truly the medication experts. We are among the most trusted professions. We work both in hospitals and in the community where we are often the first and the last point of contact in primary care.
He suggested to the students that their 鈥渋nclination to wonder about what鈥檚 next鈥� will provide the motivation to carry them through the challenges they will face in their pursuit of a degree and beyond. He saluted the students for 鈥渟etting sail on the life-long path of professionalism, competence and the uncovering and discovering of knowledge.鈥�
Noting that there were 1,330 days until graduation, Pharmacy Class Chair Brent Chatoff, (PharmD 鈥�22) said, 鈥淭he white coat is symbolic of our abilities to improve the lives of others... It is a symbol of hard work, dedication and professionalism.鈥� Thinking of the days ahead of them, he added that as a class, 鈥渨e succeed together, we struggle together and we are there for one another.鈥�
GA-黑料传送门 PGY-1 Pharmacy residents Lauren Avery, PharmD 鈥�18, and Irandokht Khaki, PharmD 鈥�18, congratulated and encouraged the students, while Ruth Pierre, (PharmD 鈥�22) sang a stirring and appropriate rendition of 鈥淩ise Up鈥� to close both ceremonies. Song lyrics were meant to fortify the students 鈥� 鈥淎nd you can't find the fighter, But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out, And move mountains.鈥�
Receptions and tours of GA-黑料传送门, planned by student leadership, allowed the students鈥� family members and friends to become more familiar with their students鈥� home base for the next four years.
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
For general media inquiries, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at 215-871-6300 or communications@pcom.edu. Visit our media relations page to view contact information for public relations personnel.