BUSM Class of 2017 White Coat Ceremony

Boston University School of Medicine’s (BUSM) Class of 2017 began their medical careers at the Schools’ annual White Coat Ceremony on Monday, Aug. 5.

The 165 students and their families gathered on the Talbot Green on BU Medical Campus to don, for the first time, the white lab coats symbolizing their commitment to the medical profession, and to recite the Hippocratic Oath.

The students were greeted by Angela Jackson, MD, associate dean for student affairs; Robert Witzburg, MD, associate dean for admissions; and Karen Antman, MD, dean of BUSM and provost BU Medical Campus.

Dean Antman said she was hopeful in the potential of the academically accomplished and diverse class sitting before her, despite the times of struggle ahead of them—the inevitable situations new medical students find themselves in, such as passing out during their first anatomy class or retaking their licensing exams.

“You’re about to embark on a great adventure with a steep learning curve—some have described it as drinking water from a fire hydrant,” Dean Antman told the class. 

Robert Lowe, MD, associate professor of medicine and the keynote speaker at the ceremony explained the history and significance of the white coats to the new students.

“The white coat is not for you, it is to symbolize to the world that you are a doctor,” said Dr. Lowe to the BUSM class of 2017.

Douglas Hughes, MD, associate dean for academic affairs, read the students’ names, promising to learn the pronunciations better before their graduation in four years, as assistant and associate deans helped the students put on their white coats

After the coating, students recited the Hippocratic Oath for the first time, signifying the beginning of their journey into the profession of medicine. They will recite it again at their May 2017 commencement, signifying their entrance into the practice of medicine.