VCU School of Medicine Celebrates Incoming Medical Students with its 16th Annual White Coat Ceremony

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine welcomed its incoming class of medical students during the 16th annual White Coat Ceremony.

Last week, the 200 students of the incoming Class of 2015 walked the stage to receive their white coats - the most important symbol of their journey toward their medical degree - before an audience of families, friends, faculty and leaders from the VCU School of Medicine.

“It’s a long time, but trust me, it’s worth it,” said Jerome F. Strauss, III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine. “You are beginning with an opportunity to do something good for yourselves, good for others and good for society … We are here to help you succeed.”

The distinctive white coat represents professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine, and by introducing this to students on day one of their entry to medical school they are reminded of the special nature of the doctor-patient relationship. Further, the ceremony obligates students to the highest standard of care from the start of their medical career and moving forward. White Coat Ceremonies have become tradition at many medical schools nationwide since 1993.

This year’s keynote speaker was Peter A. Boling, M.D., professor, interim division chair of the Division of General Medicine and director of long-term care and geriatrics in the Department of Internal Medicine at VCU, who stressed the importance of trust, honesty, integrity, technical skill and knowledge, and communication in caring for patients.

“People trust their lives and well-being to you as their doctor … Trust is a privilege you must earn … I invite you to do your best work in the field of medicine,” said Boling who leads the VCU House Calls program that provides in-home primary care for home-bound, frail adults. Serving more than 5,000 patients, the program also exposes all VCU medical students to the House Calls approach.

Boling was joined by Dorothy Sting, a patient of his for the past several years that he visited at home this spring when her health declined,  and her daughter Lucy Hottle. Through the years, Boling and his team have formed an unbreakable bond with the mother-daughter pair.

Sting and Hottle were invited to share their thoughts on what patients/caregivers most need and expect from their physicians.

“I know my doctor is knowledgeable and I can trust him. He listens to me,” said Sting. The 97-year old Sting reinforced the importance of communication to the new incoming medical students and that as doctors, they need to know their patients and see them as more than a person just lying in a bed and as someone who wants to live.

“I’m the caregiver by the patient’s bedside 24/7,” said Hottle. “I’m an important part of your team … I need good humor and support. I hope all of you will be the type of doctor that Dr. Boling has been to us.”

After the new class received their white coats, they stood together and took the Hippocratic Oath, an oath swearing to practice medicine ethically. Traditionally, the oath is taken upon graduation, but medical schools across the country now include it during the White Coat Ceremony to emphasize the doctor-patient relationship.

The Notochords, VCU’s a capella ensemble, performed during the ceremony. The Notochords were founded in 1992 and started on the medical campus. Padma Chitnavis, a four-year member of the ensemble, was among the new medical students to receive his white coat.