The white coat ceremony is a significant event in a student’s medical career and initiates their journey into medical school. Read here for the full medical school timeline. Most medical students have looked forward to their white coat ceremony for years. So read below for everything you need to know.
photo source: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
What is the White Coat Ceremony
A white coat ceremony is a formal event at which medical students receive their first white coat and take the Hippocratic oath. These white coats are generally gifted to students by their medical schools.
The new matriculants are welcomed to the beginning of their medical school journey by the medical school deans and other administrators. Family and friends of the new medical students are often invited to attend the event to celebrate. This is a great time to take photos to commemorate the moment. For parents, read here for 10 perfect white coat ceremony gifts for medical students.
When is the White Coat Ceremony
In the United States, this ceremony is held at the beginning of the first year of medical school. This is usually in July or August, shortly before students in the US begin their medical school classes. This timing may vary at foreign medical schools which may function on different academic calendars.
For example, European and Australian medical schools often begin the academic year in January. They also often do not hold the white coat ceremony until students enter the “clinical years” of their program. This is generally in student’s third year of medical studies.
Caribbean medical schools may hold this event in the spring or fall. Some Caribbean medical schools welcome new matriculants at multiple points in the academic year, including both spring and fall semesters.
Where is the White Coat Ceremony
Generally the white coat ceremony is held on the university campus. At smaller universities which cannot accommodate such a large event, the white coat ceremony may be held at a larger community event center off campus.
The average American medical school can range from 200-400 students in each class. This requires a large enough facility to accommodate often over 1,000 attendees for the white coat ceremony.
More About White Coats
In the clinical setting, medical students can be distinguished from attending and resident physicians by their short white coats, usually falling to finger length, as opposed to long white coats worn by practicing physicians, usually falling to knee length.
Read here for more information on what to wear to a white coat ceremony.
While students are often gifted their first white coat from their school, it is advised to purchase at least one additional white coat for your clinical rotations as a backup. If purchasing your own white coat as a medical student, be sure to purchase the short length, as long white coats are worn only by practicing physicians.
Final Thoughts
The white coat ceremony is a momentous event in a medical student’s life and marks the first significant step in their medical career. Most often held on the university campus at the beginning of the fall semester of a student’s first year, students should prepare to meet their new classmates, school administrators, and to celebrate with family and friends.
