HERSHEY, Pa. — Second-year medical students at Penn State College of Medicine marked an important milestone in their journey toward becoming physicians during Student Clinician Ceremonies on Feb. 4.
The events celebrated the transition from classroom learning to clerkships and more intensive clinical rotations. In past years, one ceremony took place. This year, because of the need to social distance, four separate ceremonies were held.
“Instead of just looking ahead, we wanted to stop and look at what these students have done so far that puts them on the path to becoming the doctor they want to be,” said Dr. Myles Nickolich, interim assistant dean for education in the clinical learning environment and assistant professor of medicine at Penn State Cancer Institute.
Charles Lee, second-year student class president, said he and his classmates overcame many obstacles during the last year of medical school because of COVID-19. Lee added, “We wanted to take a moment to celebrate all of our accomplishments and how far we have come before we head into our clinical rotations.”
About 140 second-year students attended the events, along with six doctoral degree recipients.