Everything about The White Coat Ceremony totally explained
The
white coat ceremony (
WCC) is a relatively new
ritual in some
medical,
podiatric,
optometry, and
pharmacy schools that marks the
student's transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health sciences. At some schools, where students begin meeting patients early in their education, the white coat ceremony is held before the first year begins.
WCCs typically involve a formal "robing" or "cloaking" of students in
white coats, the garb
physicians have traditionally worn for over 100 years and other health professions have adopted.
Content of WCCs
WCCs typically address the issue of
medical ethics and praise rising incoming third year students for their success in completing the basic science portion of medical or pharmacy school. A reading of the
Hippocratic Oath is common, and family and friends are typically invited. Over 100 medical schools in the USA now have a WCC and many students now consider it a
rite of passage in the journey toward a medical career.
According to some, WCCs have taken on a quasi-religious significance, that symbolizes a "conversion" of a
lay person into a member of the medical profession and is similar to a priest's ordination to
priesthood.
History and spread
WCCs originated in
Columbia University's
College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1993.
Since starting in the US, several medical schools in other countries outside of the
USA (such as
Israel,
Canada,
UK,
Dominican Republic and
Poland) have also started holding WCCs. The ceremony is no longer limited to medical students; starting in 1995, US pharmacy schools started holding WCCs, with the difference that most pharmacy students receive their coats at the end of their first academic year. In 2003 a survey found that the majority of US pharmacy schools hold WCCs.
Criticisms of the WCCs
Some have criticized WCCs as events of self-congratulation and self-promotion and have suggested that WCCs underline the significance and power associated with the white coat, while de-emphasizing the responsibilities and obligations of the physicians who wear them. A number of critics believe WCCs create a sense of entitlement to trust and respect that's unhealthy and in turn may foster an elitism that separates patient from caregiver.
Further Information
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