Page 3 - Fall 2019 Castle MD

Message from the Medical Officer
My son is now a first-year medical student at New York University (NYU)! My family and I attended his White Coat Ceremony (WCC) in New York City where 104 of
his fellow classmates of the Class of
2023 participated in this rite of passage,
a meaningful ritual that symbolizes a “conversion” of a lay person into a member of the healthcare profession. We and other proud parents, family members and friends were there to witness this transformation. After all, only about 1% of nearly 9,000 applicants actually got accepted into this Class, especially since NYU now is a tuition- free medical school.
The White Coat Ceremony is a relatively recent tradition. In the nineteenth century, respect for science was in stark contrast to the quackery and mysticism of nineteenth century medicine. To emphasize the transition to the more scientific approach to modern medicine, physicians sought
to represent themselves as scientists and began to wear the most recognizable symbol of the scientist – the white laboratory coat. This led to the association of the white coat with medicine.
The WCC was started in 1993 by Dr. Arnold P. Gold, a teacher and pediatric neurologist at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Before this, medical students typically received the Hippocratic Oath for the first time
at commencement. This new ceremony marked a change in tradition, introducing students to the Oath before starting their first year of study. This was intended
to provide students with well-defined guidelines regarding the expectations and responsibilities appropriate for the medical profession prior to their first day of class.
The intent of this Ceremony was to impress upon the students the primacy of the
doctor-patient relationship. It encouraged them to accept the obligations inherent in the practice of medicine, to be excellent in science, to be compassionate and to lead lives of uprightness and honor. It emphasized a physician’s responsibility to take care of patients and also to care for patients.
Although the white coat can symbolize authority and knowledge, it should not put the wearer on a pedestal. The students
are reminded that it should not shroud them in a cloak of arrogance, robbing them of compassion and empathy. They need
to maintain their humanity and remain grounded and compassionate.
If all this sounds intimidating for the novice student, one speaker offered reassurance, “It was during your upbringing, your childhood, your college years that you exhibited the qualities that will make you great doctors: your willingness to work hard, your intelligence, your commitment to others, your moral integrity and your willingness to self-reflect as you go through this incredible journey of being a doctor.”
The final message is that physicians should care as well as cure. That’s a great reminder for all of us, student doctors of all ages, as we fulfill our mission of living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness, and hope here at Adventist Health Castle.
Alan Cheung, MD, MBA, FACS
Medical Officer
FALL ‘19 · 3