Still Life: Penn State College of Medicine holds annual white coat ceremony

This past Friday (Aug. 13), the Penn State College of Medicine Class of 2008 gathered at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center to participate in the annual White Coat Ceremony. The White Coat Ceremony has become an international tradition and a rite of passage for first-year medical students to help establish a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine. This year, 134 medical students took part in the ceremony. During the formal ceremony, each student received his or her first white medical coat, an identifiable symbol for medical students and future physicians. For photos of the event, visit http://live.psu.edu/still_life/2004_08_13_whitecoat/index.html