Last month, in front of a crowd of approximately 400 family members, friends, and faculty, 61 University of Washington Spokane medical students received their white physician coats, which they will wear throughout their medical training. The iconic white coats signify the beginning of their medical careers and a commitment to the patient-physician relationship.
At the ceremony, remarks were presented by Blanca Mejia, a third-year UW medical student from Othello, WA, Janelle Clauser, MD, Assistant Dean, Foundations Phase (first 18 months of medical school), UW School of Medicine, and Julie Wolter, PhD, Dean, Gonzaga School of Health Sciences.
The white coat is one of the most iconic symbols in medicine. Since its inception at the turn of the 20th century, it has signified life, hope, and healing; and perhaps most importantly, the responsibility to care for patients.
For the new class of students, the white coat ceremony took place on September 5, following completion of orientation, during which students learned how to take a basic patient history and perform a physical examination. The goal is for students to obtain clinical experience from the first week of medical school, with increasing independence (always under supervision).
The entering class of 2025 will spend the first 18 months of medical school learning the Foundations of Clinical Medicine at the UW-GU Health Partnership building.