Tag Archives: White Coat Ceremony

School of Medicine begins new tradition of White Coat Ceremony on two campuses

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Students at the UMKC School of Medicine Mosaic Life Care campus in St. Joseph were recognized during the White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 8.

UMKC School of Medicine recognized students at the school’s two campuses in a rite of passage that marks the next step along their journey to becoming physicians.

An inaugural class of 16 students from the school’s new Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri, campus participated in that campus’ first White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 8. The event, sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, emphasizes the importance of compassionate care for patients and proficiency in both the art and the science of medicine.

UMKC School of Medicine students at the Kansas City campus participated in the annual White Coat Ceremony at the university’s White Recital Hall.

In Kansas City, the School of Medicine welcomed 125 new third-year students during the annual White Coat Ceremony one day earlier at the UMKC White Recital Hall.

The White Coat Ceremony has been a tradition at the School of Medicine since 2003. For UMKC medical students, it marks a transition in training from an emphasis on classwork to the final four years of more intensive clinical training.

UMKC opened its medical school campus at Mosaic in January with a focus on rural primary care medicine. Davin Turner, M.D., chief medical officer for Mosaic and associate dean for the St. Joseph campus, addressed the students, faculty and guests and spoke about the need for physicians in rural areas.

School of Medicine Dean Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., and Steven Waldman, St. Joseph campus dean, also spoke about becoming a physician and the significance of the physician’s white coat, symbolizing professionalism, caring and the trust between physicians and their patients.

Jessica Halla, a medical student at Mosaic, also announced the Dr. Kanga Friends of UMKC School of Medicine Outstanding Community Engagement Award, which was presented to Missouri state Rep. Brenda Shields, who played an integral role in obtaining the grants to open the school’s St. Joseph campus.

On the Kansas City campus, third-year medical student Audrey Otwell also honored William Ritter, M.D., a staff cardiologist at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, with this year’s Outstanding Years 1 and 2 Docent Award. Each third-year class nominates a Year 1-2 docent for the award based on their pursuit of teaching excellence in medicine.

Students at both campus ceremonies were read a compilation of their class reflections on the Philosophy of Medicine and were each individually recognized and presented their white coats by their docents.

Physician Assistant program celebrates White Coat Ceremony; welcomes association president

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The School of Medicine presented white coats to 20 physician assistant students during the annual White Coat Ceremony on April 14.

As they prepare to begin the next stage of training, 20 physician assistant students at the UMKC School of Medicine participated in the program’s fourth White Coat Ceremony on April 14. It took place at the UMKC Student Union.

Students receive their white coats as they begin their fifth semester of the seven-semester program. The ceremony signifies their transition from the classroom to the clinical phase of training.

Beverly Graves, M.D., clinical assistant professor, who served as the program’s first medical director, and Kathie Ervie, M.P.A.S., P.A.-C., program director, led the presentation of the white coats.

The day before the White Coat ceremony, students from all three years of PA program heard remarks from Gail Curtis, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Curtis visited the School of Medicine while in Kansas City to take part in a Kansas Academy of Physician Assistants meeting.

She told the UMKC students that this is a good time to be joining the physician assistant profession.

“We have so many great opportunities right now for our profession,” Curtis said. “You’re very lucky to be getting into the profession at the time you going into it.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the physician assistant profession. It is ranked third on the U.S. News and World Report’s list of  2018 Best Jobs.

“One thing that I think is good about where we are right now is that we’ve accomplished a lot in those first 50 years,” Curtis said. “We’ve gone from one program in North Carolina to having almost 235 PA programs, and more are coming every day.”

She also applauded the UMKC program that welcomed its inaugural class in January of 2014.

“You’re still a baby program,” Curtis said. “But I hear you have a 100-percent pass rate on your board exams. So, you’re also a great program.”

The School of Medicine currently has about 60 students enrolled in the physician assistant program. Its first two graduating classes have produced 34 physician assistants.

 

White Coat Ceremony marks a rite of passage

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Third-year medical students celebrated on Aug. 6 after taking part in the School of Medicine’s annual White Coat Ceremony.

For third-year medical students at the UMKC School of Medicine, the White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage that marks a transition to the more intensive clinical phase of their medical school training. With that comes the responsibilities of humanism and professionalism.

“Each year, medical students throughout the United States accept these responsibilities as they receive their first white coats. Soon, you will be part of this distinctive group, and I encourage you to wear your coat with pride,” Jill Moormeier, Chair of the Department of Medicine, told this year’s class on at the 2017 White Coat Ceremony at White Recital Hall.

The ceremony unites students who spent the majority of their first two years studying on the Volker Campus with their new docent units at Hospital Hill and Saint Luke’s Hospital. It marks the start of their final four years of clinical training.

View more 2017 White Coat Ceremony Photos

Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the White Coat Ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care for patients and proficiency in both the art and the science of medicine. It has been a tradition at the UMKC School of Medicine since 2003.

Sarthak Garg represented his classmates by reading the Class of 2021 Philosophy of Medicine, a compilation of the students’ thoughts about the profession of medicine.

Part of that philosophy reads, “Being a medical professional is a privilege. It is a special opportunity to help people with technical skills and express the love of humanity by constant studying and showing compassion. I can think of no better way to spend my life than that.”

The class also honored Amgad Masoud, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and both a Years 1 and 2 Docent and Years 3-through-6 Docent for the Gold 3 Unit. Masoud received the 2017 Outstanding Year 1 and 2 Docent Teaching Award. It was the third time Masoud has received the award as selected by first- and second-year students.

Then came the highlight of the event: students learning new docent team assignments and being cloaked in their new white coats.

“Today, the white coat signifies the formal relationship that exists between physicians and patients,” Moormeier said. “It also serves as a reminder of the obligation that we have to practice medicine with clinical competence and compassion.”

Physician Assistant students take part in 2017 White Coat Ceremony

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Members of the School of Medicine’s physician assistant program took part in the reading the PA Professional Oath during the annual White Coat Ceremony on April 15.

Eighteen students from the UMKC School of Medicine’s master’s program for Physician Assistants took the spotlight at the UMKC Student Union on April 15.

The class read aloud the Physician Assistant Professional Oath as part of the program’s White Coat Ceremony, marking a milestone in the journey toward completing  the Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant degree.

At the School of Medicine, the annual rite takes place at the beginning of the students’ fifth semester of the seven-semester program. It signifies the time of students transitioning from the classroom to the clinical phase of their training.

This was the third year of the White Coat Ceremony for the school’s PA program, which celebrated its first graduating class last May.

Following a brief welcome and introductions from program director Kathy Ervie, M.P.A.S., PA-C, Jim Wooten, Pharm. D., and associate professor of medicine for the departments of Basic Medical Sciences and Internal Medicine, offered brief remarks of encouragement.

Members of the PA program faculty then placed the white coats on their students’ shoulders. The white coat is considered a mantle of the medical profession and the ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care and expertise in the science of medicine.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation initiated the White Coat Ceremony to welcome students into the medical profession and set expectations for their role as health care providers by having them read their professional oath. Today, nearly 97 percent of the AAMC-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada, and many osteopathic schools of medicine conduct a White Coat Ceremony. The Foundation partnered with the Physician Assistant Education Association to provide funding to establish the first White Coat Ceremonies for PA programs at the end of 2013.

White Coat Ceremony a milestone for Year 3 students

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The School of Medicine celebrated 105 new Year 3 students who graduated to the Hospital Hill campus during the annual White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 15 at Swinney Recreation Center.
The School of Medicine celebrated 105 new Year 3 students who graduated to the Hospital Hill campus during the annual White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 15 at Swinney Recreation Center.

The White Coat Ceremony at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine also prominently includes the colors blue, green, red, gold and purple.

This rite of passage for Year 3 students in UMKC’s innovative six-year B.A./M.D. program recognizes the transition from an emphasis on classroom work to bedside care. Faculty physician mentors — docents — gave white coats to 109 students at a ceremony Saturday at Swinney Recreation Center.

The newly white-coated students will spend the next four years in small docent-led learning groups. Five blue, green, red, gold and purple banners at the ceremony represented the five docent units.

The white coat is one of the most recognizable symbols of the medical profession. In the late 1800s, physicians wore short-sleeved white coats in the operating room to prevent contamination to both the physician and the patients. The color white also culturally represents values such as purity, cleanliness and life.

“Today, the white coat signifies the formal relationship that exists between physicians and patients,” said Brenda Rogers, M.D., associate dean for student affairs at the School of Medicine.  “It serves as a reminder of the obligation we have to practice medicine with clinical competence and compassion.”

The students who were cloaked in white coats at the ceremony — the class of 2019 — wrote a philosophy of medicine statement that will hang in the school lobby. Joseph Bennettt, 2014 Richard T. Garcia Award recipient and Year 3 student, read it:

“Medicine is a noble profession that serves to better mankind, and getting a chance to be a part of this profession is a dream come true. As aspiring physicians, we have chosen potentially one of the more difficult paths to assisting others. We have chosen to master the human body and all that ails it. Simply stated, medicine is about helping people…”

Physician Assistant program conducts first White Coat Ceremony

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Students in the MMS-Physician Assistant program read the P.A. Professional Oath during the program's first White Coat Ceremony on April 11.
Students in the MMS-Physician Assistant program read the P.A. Professional Oath during the program’s first White Coat Ceremony on April 11.

Fourteen physician assistant students who are preparing to begin their clinical rotations participated in the School of Medicine’s first Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant White Coat Ceremony on April 11 at the UMKC Student Union Theater.

The ceremony takes place at the beginning of the students’ fifth semester of the seven-semester program to signify their transition from the classroom to the clinical phase of training. After hearing welcoming and encouraging remarks from Kathie Ervie, M.P.A.S., P.A.-C., program director, Beverly Graves, M.D., program medical director, and Irv Stickney, P.A.-C., a member of the advisory board, students recited the Physician Assistant Professional Oath as a pledge to the health and safety of their patients and to maintain a professional code of ethics.

The white coat is a mantle of the medical profession, and the White Coat Ceremony occurs with students having the coat placed on their shoulders by individuals who believe in their ability to contribute to the traditions of the medical profession. The ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care and expertise in the science of medicine.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation initiated the White Coat Ceremony to welcome students into the medical profession and set expectations for their role as health care providers by having them read their professional oath. Today, 97 percent of the AAMC-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada, and osteopathic schools of medicine conduct a White Coat Ceremony. The Foundation partnered with the Physician Assistant Education Association to provide funding to establish White Coat Ceremonies for PA programs at the end of 2013.

The School of Medicine first began a White Coat Ceremony for students entering the B.A./M.D. program. In 2003, the School transitioned the ceremony to a program for Year 3 students as they advanced to Hospital Hill and joined their Years 3-6 docent units for the beginning of their clinical rotations.

Ervie said the White Coat Ceremony for PA students was modeled after the school’s ceremony for medical students.

White Coat Ceremony signals next step in med school journey

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Sumita Sharma, MS 3, (left) and Dorothy (Becky) Daniel, MS 3, were all smiles after learning which docent unit they have been assigned to during the School of Medicine's annual White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 16 at Swinney Recreation Center..
Sumita Sharma, MS 3, (left) and Dorothy (Becky) Daniel, MS 3, were all smiles after learning which docent unit they have been assigned to during the School of Medicine’s annual White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 16 at Swinney Recreation Center. Click here for more photos from the White Coat Ceremony.

The white coat is one of the preeminent symbols of a physician and with it comes respect and the expectation of contributing to the traditions of the medical profession. That significance wasn’t lost on the nearly 120 members of the School of Medicine’s entering Year 3 class as the group beamed with pride on Aug. 16 during the annual White Coat Ceremony at Swinney Recreation Center on the UMKC Volker Campus.

The ceremony marks the official beginning of Year 3 of training at the School of Medicine, when the medical students join their docent units on Hospital Hill and at Saint Luke’s Hospital for their final four years of medical school. It has been a tradition for students entering their third year at the School of Medicine since 2003. Sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, the White Coat Ceremony emphasizes the importance of compassionate care for patients as well as proficiency in the art and science of medicine.

Rahuyl Maheshwari, MS 3, read the Class of 2018 philosophy of medicine statement before School of Medicine Alumni Association President Raymond Cattaneo, M.D., ’03, introduced the class and the School’s docents placed the physician’s white coat on the shoulders of each new member of their unit.

Another notable moment came earlier in the program when Allison Scholes, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine, was presented with the Outstanding Year 1-2 Docent Award. Students select the award recipient in voting each year.

Anne Kobberman, M.D., ’03, a member of the School of Medicine’s Alumni Association, and School of Medicine Dean Betty Drees, M.D., F.A.C.P., each spoke to the class, offering encouragement for the task that lies ahead during the group’s next four years of medical education.