A class of 109 first-year students marched into the UMKC Student Union for the UMKC School of Medicine’s annual InDOCtrination ceremony on Friday, Aug. 16, taking the first step in a six-year journey toward earning their medical degrees.

Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and a 1978 graduate, shared her experience as a new medical student.

“I was excited to start this new journey and just slightly overwhelmed to think this was my first step toward becoming a physician,” she said.

She told the class that the next six years would be some of the most challenging, but also most memorable and most life-changing of their lives.

“Each and every day, you will make a difference in people’s lives,” Jackson said. “Embrace that.”

InDOCtrination Photo Album

This year’s incoming class is comprised of 76 women and 33 men from 15 states spread from California to Massachusetts.

Corrine Workman, a second-year student, received the school’s Richard T. Garcia Memorial Award. It is given annually to a second-year student for outstanding leadership skills, compassion toward fellow students, and outstanding academic performance throughout Year 1.

“I remember meeting people that I now consider my closest friends,” Workman said. “I also learned about taking care of myself and people around me.”

She encouraged members of the new Year 1 class to be patient with themselves when they face challenges and to be a help to others.

Each of the students was then introduced to family and friends with their Year 1 docent units and then listed to a reading of the Oath of Physicians. It is the same oath the class will recite in six year upon graduation.

Throughout the UMKC Student Union auditorium, parents stood with cellphones and tablets to capture the moment a group of 109 students marched in to kick off the UMKC School of Medicine’s InDOCtrination Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 17.

The event is a confirmation of the students’ entry to the UMKC School of Medicine, said Brenda Rogers, associate dean for student affairs. She welcomed the Class of 2024 to what she called the challenging and exciting world of medicine.

“It’s a world that will demand a lot from you but will reward you greatly,” Rogers said.

Each student was introduced as members of their new Year 1 docent unit and then listed to a reading of the Oath of Physicians. It is the same oath the class will recite upon graduation.

Second-year medical student Gabriel Calderon received the Richard T. Garcia Memorial Award. The annual award recognizes a second-year student for outstanding leadership skills, compassion toward fellow classmates and outstanding academic performance throughout Year 1.

Calderon told the new medical students that test taking will become a way of life.

“This program is going to test you in so many ways,” he said. “Your brain will be tested. Your heart will be tested. And your motivation will be tested.”

Those tests, he said, will be important because of the payoff.

“The ultimate goal of graduating from this program is to land that dream job,” Calderon said. “If you handle business now, work hard at being the best medical student you can be, a great residency will be right at your fingertips.”

School of Medicine Interim Dean Mary Anne Jackson described her own career path that started with med school at UMKC. She encouraged members of the class to embrace their role as students. Everyone will make contributions in life, and each person’s contributions will be a little bit different, she said.

“You’ve chosen a truly amazing profession,” she said. “Embrace it fully. Good luck to each of you as you start your journey. I know first-hand how remarkable it will be.”

The new first-year class includes students from 14 states ranging from New Jersey to Washington and from Wisconsin to Florida. Of those selected from the nearly 1,500 applicants for this year’s class, women far outnumbered the men, 74 to 35. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported in 2017 that for the first time ever, slightly more women than men entered medical schools across the United States.