White Coat Ceremony Marks Start of Professional Careers

In an annual rite of passage, more than 850 first-year students from Midwestern University received their clinical white coats and took an oath affirming their commitment to the highest standards of compassion and patient care.

The White Coat Ceremony was held on the Downers Grove Campus on September 25, 2015. Students from the University’s osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, dental medicine, and speech-language pathology programs received their white coats before an audience of family and friends.

“As our first-year students begin their rigorous course of study, we believe it’s important for them to have the white coat as a reminder of the level of professionalism we expect,” said Kathleen H. Goeppinger, Ph.D., Midwestern University President and Chief Executive Officer. “The White Coat Ceremony also emphasizes the important interprofessional relationship of all our healthcare programs. Midwestern University embraces the One Health concept, which focuses on the collaboration of all members of the healthcare team and recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment,” Dr. Goeppinger said.

Students who received their white coats also took an Oath of Commitment, reminding them to maintain the trust expected of a healthcare provider, to value the knowledge and wisdom of their colleagues, and to commit to lifelong learning. These students now join the many generations of alumni who also began their successful healthcare careers at Midwestern University.