LUBBOCK – The white coat is one of the most visible symbols of the health care provider, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine students of the Class of 2014 will take part in the White Coat Ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Friday (July 30) at the City Bank Auditorium, 1501 Mac Davis Lane.
The White Coat Ceremony stresses the importance of humanism and professionalism in the practice of medicine. The white coat has been the visual hallmark of physicians since the 19th century. This event is a rite of passage for first-year medical students as they receive their coats and take a Hippocratic oath affirming their commitment to the highest standards of ethics and patient care.
Steven Berk, M.D., dean of the TTUHSC School of Medicine, said students are presented with their white coats early on in their training because they will soon be seeing patients and learning professionalism.
"The students white coat symbolizes that they have been invited into the prestigious profession of medicine, a privilege which comes with great professional responsibility," Berk said.
Berk said having a school of medicine in Lubbock is of great value to all of those in the community and West Texas.
“The School of Medicine is committed to providing outstanding physicians for the future of West Texas; working with the all of the community health care institutions; and searching for new cures and better treatment of diseases,” Berk said.
The new 144 medical students include 43 from the West Texas area, 32 from Texas Tech University, and others are from other top universities such as Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, University of Florida and Georgetown University.