On Saturday, Oct. 3, 283 first-year osteopathic medical students took their first step toward becoming physicians during 黑料传送门鈥檚 White Coat Ceremony.
A significant rite of passage, the White Coat Ceremony is a tradition at most medical schools. The ceremony is designed to establish a psychological contract for beginning medical students that stresses the importance of compassionate care for the patient and professionalism as well as scientific proficiency.
Students heard from Jay S. Feldstein, DO '81, president and CEO; Ken Veit, DO 鈥�76, MBA, provost, senior vice president for academic affairs and dean; and Harry Morris, DO 鈥�78, MPH, chair of family medicine. Michael J. Zawisza, DO 鈥�86, president of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, congratulated the students after they had received their white coats.
Students representing years two, three and four also shared their perspectives on
what the white coat meant to them. "My white coat marks me as someone given the opportunity
to care for others, said Kelly Mowatt, class of 2017.
The ceremony concluded with the class of 2019 reciting the vision statement they had
crafted during orientation. The students pledged to 鈥渄edicate ourselves to the evolution
of our medical training and emotional intelligence,鈥� and 鈥渢o be cognizant that a patient
is more than their diagnosis, and acknowledge the person behind their disease.鈥�
The physician鈥檚 white coat has been a part of the profession since the 19th century.
The concept originated from the operating room鈥檚 white coat, and has served as a visual
symbol of the profession that stands for the need to balance excellence in science
with compassionate caring for the patient.
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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