REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS: THE WHITE COAT CEREMONY
AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
A
t a restful after-hours gathering of
medical residents and their fami-
lies in the 1970s, I asked a mother
with a babe in her arms what her
cute girl was going to be. Rather
surprised, she said she had no idea.
I explained that in the Philippines
where we came from, and other Far East coun-
tries, it was not unusual for parents to look at their batch of kids
and assign them future careers according to their talents, as in: this
talkative argumentative boy, Juan, is going to be a lawyer. Emma
loves children and will be a teacher. Jose, who burnt himself building
a bamboo cannon for New Year, could be an engineer if he keeps
himself alive. Lucia is always a valedictorian and is compassionate;
she will be a doctor. They may even set up a successful model for
their child to emulate and call their attention if they deviate from
their supposed goal.
This of course is an alien concept among liberally inclined parents
who believe that a child should decide what he wants to become,
that which will make him happy in his future.
Which brings us to the present time, the U.S.A., with our children
from mixed cultures of East and West, North and South. Further
honing it down to “what motivates our kin and others to join the
medical profession?”
The entering medical class of 2023 will soon have their White
Coat Ceremony. Vested with a short white coat by faculty, they will
be formally accepted to the healing profession. Taking vows that
they will, from now on, adhere to the tenets of preserving health
and life. Actually, they will have pledged the next four years of
their young lives to the serious study of the art of healing the ills of
their fellow men. Furthermore, they have also committed four or
more years after that in pursuit of specialization in their selected
fields of interest.
To have reached this stage, these future medical doctors must
have knowingly explored their options and decided it was worth
putting together the necessary academic requirements for admission
and taking the competitive MCAT to prove it. They have shadowed
physicians, gone to medical missions, done research and worked
odd jobs, medically related or not, to keep afloat. They applied to
different medical schools and underwent interviews in hopes of
being admitted to the schools of their choice.
If they had gone through these rigorous activities and persisted,
who says they are not qualified to don a short white coat?
Their families and significant loved ones will be present with great
hopes and pride at what their candidate has already accomplished.
Many think of what they have contributed in love, sweat and tears,
to this moment. They may have to do more of the same. Obviously,
this ceremony is just a beginning, the first step in a lifelong quest
for the fulfillment of the purpose of the rest of the candidates’ lives.
The latter are just girding themselves for the real task ahead: medical
school and specialty training.
The hope is that after all these sacrifices, they will indeed be able to
practice what they have learned, to alleviate illness, pain and misery
among their patients, whoever they are and wherever they may be.
We therefore wish for them courage, perseverance and good
health. We pray their spiritual and personal lives continue as planned
despite the challenges they face. When they do finally practice their
art, may they find joy and satisfaction in what they do. Not to forget,
may they be compensated enough to pay for their loans and debts,
and have enough left over to lead a decent life.
May they always be true to their calling so that others may not be
deterred in following their footsteps when their life work is done.
Whatever became of the little babe in arms at that resident party
in the 1970s? She did become a professor in one of the prestigious
university hospitals in the eastern USA. Her specialty? Emergency
medicine. It’s obvious she has followed the course of the profession
that she had awakened to.
Will we ever know what motivates our kin and others to join the
medical profession? Do we have an idea? Or do we not?
Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.
JULY 2019
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