This cohort was the 14th class to take part in the White Coat Ceremony for the UQ-Ochsner MD Program.
Although the white coat has long been associated with the physician, the history of the actual White Coat Ceremony dates back to 1993. The White Coat Ceremony began at commencement exercises at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, where Dr Arnold P. Gold had been a teacher and pediatric neurologist for more than forty years.
Dr. Gold became aware, as he witnessed Columbia's graduation ceremony each year with the recitation of the Hippocratic Oath, that students accepting the obligations of our profession came four years too late. It is during medical school that students experience their initial contacts with patients and establish their professional identity. Dr. Gold believed that medical students should be given well defined guidelines regarding the expectations and responsibilities appropriate for the medical profession in medical school. This is what inspired The Arnold P. Gold Foundation to begin advocacy and sponsorship of what has become the "White Coat Ceremony."
In keeping with the Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s mission dedicated to fostering humanism in medicine, each student received an A.P. Gold Humanism in Medicine lapel pin that symbolizes a shared commitment to providing compassionate and competent patient care.
Professor Leonardo Seoane, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Ochsner Health congratulated each UQ-Ochsner medical student and shared his excitement to welcome them to the Ochsner clinical campus.
“You will encounter new and difficult challenges as you progress into Phase 2 of your medical education, but remember we have all been there, and you are not alone. Along with your family and friends we at Ochsner will be with you every step of the way,” said Professor Seoane.
The keynote address was delivered by one of our own, Dr Kathryn Jones who graduated from the UQ-Ochsner program in 2014 and now works at Ochsner specialising in palliative medicine.
Max Shteiman a third-year UQ-Ochsner medical student said the White Coat Ceremony is a significant milestone for him.
“The White Coat represents all the hard work we have done in the first two years of this program, all the theory we’ve learnt, that foundation we’ve built in our medical education; and now we’re making that crucial transition to our clinical years.
“That white coat is a great symbol of that transition for me,” he said.
The ceremony punctuates the beginning of two years New Orleans, Louisiana after spending two years in Brisbane, Australia. Earlier in the week, the team at Ochsner formally welcomed the students and their families during a Welcome Reception and a campus tour ran by fellow fourth-year students who will be wonderful mentors to the incoming class.
