At my school it was kind of like a graduation ceremony, with a bunch of speakers and then every med student being called up by name and has their white coat put on by older med students and docs. The whole thing was done in about an hour. At my school, most people had their families come into town (it was on a saturday though, too) and spent the rest of the day going to dinner, showing the family around the med school, etc. My mom thought it was cool....I think she would have thought so even if it had been a five hour drive...but check with your school as to how much "pomp and circumstance" the ceremony is, and how many family members traditionally attend to let you and your family decide if they want to make the trek.
