WHITE COAT CEREMONY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
with me a 2,500 year tradition and shame on me if I don’t carry it
out with dignity for the next eight hours. … For that period of time,
I am the agent and servant of the patient. I’m proud to be a servant
of the sick. It is the greatest honor.”
Dr. Couch reassured the students they would always have peers and
mentors to fall back on. In addition to those they would see every
day, the GLMS will always be available as well.
The first way in which GLMS touches each student is by providing
the white coat for which the July ceremony takes its name. Upon
taking a free photo at the end of the ceremony, each student also
became a member of the society for the duration of their time in
medical school. That membership brings with it the ability to attend
unique events throughout their school year including Specialty Speed
Networking where students can sit down with physicians across
multiple specialties and learn about a dozen or more potential
career pathways in just two hours.
In closing, Dr. Couch rallied the students with the message that their
best days were still ahead. “This day, your first day as a medical student, is a landmark day in your life. You and your family should feel
proud of what you’ve accomplished to get to this point. You now need
to focus your energies on becoming the best physician you can be.”
The school of medicine’s Vice Dean for Research Jon Klein, MD, PhD,
delivered the Keynote Address and spoke about the values of respect,
dignity, compassion and how each are critical to a physician’s career.
“We know you,” Dr. Klein said. “We know the class of 2019. We know
you are idealistic and committed to being compassionate physicians.
We intend to do everything we can to support and nurture you.” He
also encouraged the students to help themselves by listening to
each other, listening to patients and maintaining the human part
of the practice. He noted some of his most rewarding moments of
his time as a physician were when he listened to the stories patients
had to say.
“The stories they tell stick with you far longer than the treatments.
… Sometimes we learn the art of listening to the patient and of
compassion for human suffering in the most unexpected way. Stay
open to those possibilities.”
To begin the ceremony, U of L Assoc. Vice President for Health Affairs
and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs David Wiegman, PhD, welcomed
the new students and explained the history and evolution of the
white coat each would wear. He spoke with reverence of how each
coat represented authority and hope.
“It’s a real challenge to be worthy of putting on a white coat,” Dr.
Wiegman said. “It’s a powerful symbol of compassion and honor.”
Seth Sloan, U of L Medical Student and President of the 2018 class,
followed with words encouraging the students to look to each other
for support. “Here at the University of Louisville, you quickly learn
that it is essential to depend on one another, help one another, work
together and become part of a team,” said Sloan. “The people around
you today aren’t just your classmates, but your future colleagues.
Together we are the U of L School of Medicine. We do not become
doctors on our own.”
The afternoon’s festivities were filled with hope, encouragement
and support from professors and students alike. School of Medicine
Dean Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, FACS, perhaps summed it up best as
she spoke to students before they put on their white coats for the
very first time.
“Class of 2019, we’re so glad you chose to be part of our University
of Louisville family,” she said. “We know you are highly competent
and fully motivated for success. I personally look forward to the
privilege and the joy of being part of your journey. I congratulate
you and welcome you.”
Following the ceremony, students took advantage of free professional photography provided by GLMS and activated their student
memberships within the medical society. The GLMS and the GLMS
Foundation jointly shared the expense of providing a white coat to
each incoming medical student. For more coverage of the White
Coat Ceremony, visit our September edition of Louisville Medicine.
GLMS NEWS AUGUST 2015
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