New medical students craft class oath, receive white coats

First-year students at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis participated Aug. 16 in the traditional White Coat ceremony — a rite of passage that welcomes future physicians to the school and the medical profession.

In addition to receiving their white coats at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus, the 124 new medical students — 62 women and 62 men from 10 countries and 31 U.S. states — recited an oath promising honesty and integrity. They wrote the oath as a class.

To read the oath, view more photos from the White Coat ceremony and find out more about the new class, visit whitecoat.wustl.edu.

Matt Miller

Sandy Hoang and other first-year medical students gather Aug. 14 to work on their class oath during orientation at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center on the Medical Campus.

Matt Miller

Alden D’Souza works with other first-year medical students Aug. 14 on their class oath during orientation at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center on the Medical Campus.

Matt Miller

The newest class of medical students brainstormed on ideas for a class oath.

Matt Miller

Hosannah Evie, from Lagos, Nigeria, receives her white coat from Valerie Ratts, MD, associate dean for admissions, in a ceremony at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus.

Matt Miller

Christopher Noda gets a feel for his newly acquired white coat Aug. 16. Will Ross, MD, associate dean for diversity, presented the coat to Noda during a ceremony at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus.

Matt Miller

The newest class of medical students at Washington University recites the class oath Aug. 16 during the White Coat ceremony at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus.