First-year students in the School of Medicine recite an oath they wrote together as a class. (Credit: Photos by Robert Boston) First-year students at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently participated in the traditional White Coat Ceremony — a rite of passage in which future doctors are welcomed to the medical school and the medical profession.
First-year medical student Shamaita Majumdar receives her white coat from Will Ross, MD, the School of Medicine’s associate dean for diversity.In addition to receiving their white coats Aug. 15 in a ceremony at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus, the 123 students recited an oath promising honesty and integrity.They wrote the oath as a class with the help of faculty mentors.
Pictured below are first-year medical students holding cards that describe what their white coats represent. The cards offer a glimpse at the mindset these future doctors have and expect to build upon.
This year’s entering class includes 23 students who will participate in the MD/PhD program. In all, the students represent seven countries, 33 states and 70 undergraduate institutions.
Medical student Alaric D’Souza holds a card describing what his white coat represents.”My white coat is a promise,” it reads.Elizabeth Maidl’s card says, “My white coat represents my dedication to learning as much from my patients as they do from me.” Sindhoora Murthy’s card says, “My white coat means stepping beyond myself to make a difference in other people’s lives.”Dillan Newbold’s card says, “My white coat represents the trust that my patients and my community will place in me and my commitment to protect that trust.”Mindy Guo’s card says, “My white coat means that one day I’ll have the knowledge and power to be the change I want to see in my community.”
