MD White Coat Ceremony
White Coat Ceremony
October 18, 2024
whitecoat.wustl.edu
The White Coat Ceremony is the culmination of an intensive orientation program that welcomes incoming medical students to Washington University and the medical profession.
In this video series, incoming medical students share what inspired them to wear a white coat. See more videos and photos »
The symbol of a profession
At the White Coat Ceremony, incoming students receive their white coats from School of Medicine faculty members, then take an oath — one they have written as a class — pledging honesty and integrity in their practice of medicine. Family and friends are invited to witness as students take their first symbolic step into the medical profession.
The White Coat Ceremony at Washington University is supported in part by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which works with students and professionals to instill a culture of humanism in medicine. Humanism in medicine is characterized by respect, dignity and compassion for patients, with sensitivity to the diverse values and backgrounds of others.
Coverage of past ceremonies
The White Coat Ceremony is a long-standing tradition at Washington University School of Medicine.
See photos and stories from recent years »
Photo: Medical students in the WashU Medicine Entering Class of 2022 shared signs expressing what their newly received physicians coats mean to them.