Medicine

Incoming College of Medicine students mark national rite of passage

Penn State College of Medicine initiated its first-year medical students pursuing doctor of medicine or doctor of medicine/doctoral degrees with the annual White Coat Ceremony, which took place at the Hershey Lodge.

On Aug. 5, in the presence of family, friends and peers, incoming students received their first white medical coat, a symbol of their entrance into the medical profession as student physicians. Following the distribution of white coats, 143 members of the entering class joined together to recite the Hippocratic oath – the universally recognized creed for physicians.

“Each year, the White Coat Ceremony emphasizes the importance of duty, altruism and trust in the practice of medicine,” said Richard J. Simons, doctor of medicine and vice dean for educational affairs. “The event is an opportunity for incoming students to profess their commitment to the humanistic care of their future patients.”

Generally, one in six prospective medical students applies to the College of Medicine. The incoming class is 54 percent female and 46 percent male. They come from 23 states and six foreign countries. Of the 84 Pennsylvania residents this year, 27 are from the Hershey region, with Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties represented.

The College of Medicine initiated its annual White Coat Ceremony in 1996 with funding support from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a public foundation fostering humanism in medicine. Each year, the foundation donates lapel pins for the honorary white coats that are emblazoned with a stethoscope in the shape of a heart, surrounded by the words "Humanism in Medicine." A White Coat Ceremony or similar rite of passage takes place at more than 90 percent of schools of medicine and osteopathy in the United States.

Last Updated August 11, 2011

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