White Coat Ceremonies: Worth a Plane Ticket?

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KBCoch

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Hey, all. I'm hoping that you who have been through these white coat ceremonies can help me figure out if it is something that my immediate family should fly out to see. I would hate to have them drop the cash and then have it be short and/or not a big deal. I think my school does it on the first day of orientation. What exactly goes on, and did your parents fly out for it?

Thanks a bunch.
 
Let me put it this way; My family is only two hours away and I was glad that they didn't come to the see the white coat ceremony. It only lasted about an hour for us and at least half of that was calling out individual names and photo opportunities. A lot of people did have family and friends there, but I just think it was not that big of a deal. Good luck with your choice and congratulations on starting med school.
 
My parents came from Florida to Philadelphia for mine, and they (and I) were very happy they came. It is a nice symbolic momemt for you to celebrate the accomplishment of getting into medical school. We were presented our coats by a row of octagenarian alumni of my school, and I found it pretty moving. I'm corny that way, though.
 
would it be worth it if my parents flew from hawaii to the south? tickets obviously being in the 500-600 range per person.
 
Originally posted by johnstoner
would it be worth it if my parents flew from hawaii to the south? tickets obviously being in the 500-600 range per person.
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My parents didn't come to mine. They wanted to, but I told them to stay at home. It just wasn't that big a deal. Then again, I've never been a big fan of large ceremonies. If your parents come, just make sure they don't expect something amazing. You hear a speech, get your white coat, take the oath, and then pose for some pictures. Takes abt 2 hrs total.
 
Now Graduation, on the other hand, will be a big event and my mother is planning to fly in from Greece to attend.

As for the white coat ceremony, we had ours at the beginning of sophmore year. It was a nice ceremony, and I'm glad they held it, but I don't know if it's worth having your parents spend a couple of thousand bucks and three days of their time to attend.

I certainly felt like something of a fraud wearing that white coat for the first time.
 
no. not worth the $ for a plane ticket.

my dad still doesn't get what the point of the whole thing is! :laugh: (he keeps asking "they have a whole ceremony to give you a coat??! but why??!) ... but then again, we've never really been into ceremonies, as a family.
 
My parents are into the self-congratulatory moment; they'll probably come help me move, and then stick around for the ceremony (depending on the school).

I suppose, also, it's been a three-year detour to medical school for me...as opposed to most folks straight out of college who would have the white coat ceremony just a few months after their undergraduate graduation.
 
No, not worth it. Good ceremony and fun parties after, but not really worth it for you parents to fly out. If they want to visit, get a date in the springtime when you are settled in and know the town.

Save the $$$.
 
Originally posted by xaelia
My parents are into the self-congratulatory moment; they'll probably come help me move, and then stick around for the ceremony (depending on the school).
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Same--my parents, my sister, and a good friend are planning on helping me move (I think it's more of a summer vacation thing for them) and then sticking around for my white coat ceremony.

Whether it's worth their time or not, I'm glad they'll be there!
 
I agree with previous posters... save the $$$... not a big deal...
 
I'll agree with everyone else. Save the $$$. My school did have the great idea to videotape it, so I bought the tape for my folks and took it home with me at Christmas. That way at least they got to see it, AND can show it to everyone else.
 
Good one ussd, we didn't have biochem then! :laugh:

Just kidding, I know you probably meant the second gross/histo/embryo midterm. One of my lab partners actually brought flash cards and we killed some time reviewing.

btw, my Dad came down which was nice...but he took a bus for just approximately $100. A substantial airfare probably wouldn't be worth it unless your folks could make a real vacation out of it (which would depend on where your med school is).
 
Originally posted by Lara
Good one ussd, we didn't have biochem then! :laugh:

Just kidding, I know you probably meant the second gross/histo/embryo midterm. One of my lab partners actually brought flash cards and we killed some time reviewing.

btw, my Dad came down which was nice...but he took a bus for just approximately $100. A substantial airfare probably wouldn't be worth it unless your folks could make a real vacation out of it (which would depend on where your med school is).
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Can you tell that I have Biochem on the brain! You are right as usual, Lara, I meant the second integrated exam!
 
Just remember that you'll be putting that thing on for the ceremony, and then putting it in a drawer for the next 2 years.

I felt dorky about the ceremony - but then again, I think making the coat into a symbol is stupid. The white coat is a good way to know if you get blood on yourself - if not around blood, I think docs should just wear a tie/skirt.

For the incredible number of people who still die horribly from a vast array of diseases, the field of medicine sure is proud of itself.
 
Originally posted by KBCoch
Hey, all. I'm hoping that you who have been through these white coat ceremonies can help me figure out if it is something that my immediate family should fly out to see. I would hate to have them drop the cash and then have it be short and/or not a big deal. I think my school does it on the first day of orientation. What exactly goes on, and did your parents fly out for it?

Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...

Save money. It's no big deal. You hear a speech and then get a short lab coat. Unless your family has money to burn, it's not really worth the money.
 
I'm glad that the question was posed because I was wondering the same thing. Ours will be at the end of the last day of orientation, and the school will be having a family/friends/spouses orientation during the morning on that last day. I figure it'll be the last time my parents will see me before I get hit with the stresses of medical school, so I thought it might be a good thing to have them out here.

Am I like the worst daughter in the world to think that this might be a waste of time for my parents to attend?

-Tomi
 
I wonder why schools have white coat ceremonies before you start med school when you really don't know dick about anything?
Besides they are giving the coat to some people who may even drop out before they get to wear it in the wards anyways. I think they should give it right before you start your rotations.
 
Originally posted by me109cito
I wonder why schools have white coat ceremonies before you start med school when you really don't know dick about anything?
Besides they are giving the coat to some people who may even drop out before they get to wear it in the wards anyways. I think they should give it right before you start your rotations.
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Because many schools now introduce clinical medicine to their first and second year class. They want their students to look professional when dealing with patients. This is a small price to invest in a group that traditionally does not drop out and considering the average student will pay 15K-30K for their education. A $30 coat is chump change.
 
I'm sure that is true, but it isn't the whole story, from what I understand.

The White Coat Ceremony was started by Arnold Gold, who now runs (or ran) the Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine. His idea was to give students the feeling that they are doctors from day one - to remind them that even though there would be lots of science classes for the first few years, the goal is to take care of people.

I'm all for the humanism part, but don't like the symbolism of the white coat idea. If nothing else, fear of 'the coat' has been documented to mess with people's blood pressure.

Here's a link to the Gold Foundation, if you're interested. I'm sure they explain the rationale behind the ceremony better than I.

http://www.humanism-in-medicine.org/
 
white coat ceremonies are pretty meaningless and a waste of time.

First off, everybody in the freakin hospital, from scrub tech to nurse to med student to attending, wears the same freaking white coat so wearing a white coat is hardly a measure of distinction.

Secondly, patients dont give a jack **** if their doctor/med student wears a white coat. They want docs to look professional with shirt and tie, but you dont need a white coat unless you are working with chemicals in a lab.

thirdly, this is an event that could easily be combined with graduation and make that event more significant.

i didnt go to my white coat ceremony and I know I really didnt miss out on anything
 
Originally posted by MacGyver
everybody in the freakin hospital, from scrub tech to nurse to med student to attending, wears the same freaking white coat so wearing a white coat is hardly a measure of distinction.

Secondly, patients dont give a jack **** if their doctor/med student wears a white coat. They want docs to look professional with shirt and tie, but you dont need a white coat unless you are working with chemicals in a lab.
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I think patients do care, and this is why many departments I've worked in require a white coat. The coat doesn't have to distinquish between Drs. from non-Drs. per se. However, I do think the white coat is important to identify members of the health care team, which include nurses, techs, medical students, physicians, etc...
 
i did not even attend mine...i was home sleeping after uuum....well i was home sleeping.

Now graduation on the other hand...
 
No, not everyone in a hospital wears a white coat 🙄 Where do you go MacGuyver that house and support staff all wear the same thing? Do the attendings all wear the same color as well?

We are presented with two white coats. The first at the start of medical school, and the second before clerkships. The second has your name embroidered on it. Yes, you also absolutely need them during the first two years. We are required to wear them during clinical instruction.
 
I'm planning to go to mine, for grins if nothing else. It seems kind of funny to celebrate getting a short coat again, when I've worn the long one for the last three years. But I think for me it'll be a reminder that my role has changed, and that I'm still starting at the bottom of the food chain in medicine, no matter what my credentials were in pharmacy. So it'll be a good thing for me to go. But I'm not inviting my family, unless they happen to be there already to help me move.
 
Originally posted by NUcat
No, not everyone in a hospital wears a white coat 🙄 Where do you go MacGuyver that house and support staff all wear the same thing? Do the attendings all wear the same color as well?

We are presented with two white coats. The first at the start of medical school, and the second before clerkships. The second has your name embroidered on it. Yes, you also absolutely need them during the first two years. We are required to wear them during clinical instruction.
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NUCat,

I bet if I walk into your hospital and interview all hte people who are wearing white coats, less than half will be doctors (MD/DO)

Nurses, phlebotomists, EKG techs, xray techs, mri techs, and medical asssistants all wear long white coats.

There is absolutely no distinction to be made if someone is wearing a white coat. If someone is wearing a long white coat + stethoscope around their neck, you can narrow it down to doctors or nurses.
 
just wondering, does any school have their small white coats with each student's personal name embroidered on them?

It looks like Harvard does this (photos online), but it looks like most schools just give u a name tag to wear.

It's not like you're going to get confused with a house officer wearing the short coat. Why not have our coats embroidered with red lettering? It just looks like a lab coat otherwise..
 
Originally posted by carrigallen
just wondering, does any school have their small white coats with each student's personal name embroidered on them?

It looks like Harvard does this (photos online), but it looks like most schools just give u a name tag to wear.

It's not like you're going to get confused with a house officer wearing the short coat. Why not have our coats embroidered with red lettering? It just looks like a lab coat otherwise..
Click to expand...

Hopkins did too.
 
You didn't answer my question. Where do you go? Or which hospital are you doing/have done rotations through? From your signature, I'd guess Harvard so everyone at Brigham or MGH wears white?

at NMH,
Attendings - long, gray coats
Housestaff - long, light blue coats
Students - short, white coats
Nurses - white, blue, or pink long coats depending on positioin
Allied health - no coats, or blue or white long coats


Originally posted by MacGyver
NUCat,

I bet if I walk into your hospital and interview all hte people who are wearing white coats, less than half will be doctors (MD/DO)

Nurses, phlebotomists, EKG techs, xray techs, mri techs, and medical asssistants all wear long white coats.

There is absolutely no distinction to be made if someone is wearing a white coat. If someone is wearing a long white coat + stethoscope around their neck, you can narrow it down to doctors or nurses.
Click to expand...
 
To me it seemed like the white coat ceremony was designed expressly for parents. My mother got a big kick out of it, but also thought it was pretty pointless - it would have made a much bigger impression on me if we had gotten the coat at graduation, or maybe even right before clinical rotations. When I got it right at the beginning, I felt like I hadn't done anything to earn it, so it lost it's meaning.
Bottom line - if your parents are the type who get a big kick out of ceremonies, they would probably enjoy it. Otherwise, don't waste their time.
 
Originally posted by NUcat

at NMH,
Attendings - long, gray coats
Housestaff - long, light blue coats
Click to expand...

wow, light blue / gray coats? I've not seen those.
 
Originally posted by secretwave101
I'm sure that is true, but it isn't the whole story, from what I understand.

The White Coat Ceremony was started by Arnold Gold, who now runs (or ran) the Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine. His idea was to give students the feeling that they are doctors from day one - to remind them that even though there would be lots of science classes for the first few years, the goal is to take care of people.

I'm all for the humanism part, but don't like the symbolism of the white coat idea. If nothing else, fear of 'the coat' has been documented to mess with people's blood pressure.

Here's a link to the Gold Foundation, if you're interested. I'm sure they explain the rationale behind the ceremony better than I.

http://www.humanism-in-medicine.org/
Click to expand...

We also got a little gold pin which indicates that we have vowed to never think bad thoughts about patients for whatever reason.

"You weigh 400 pounds, your knees hurt, and you are out of breath? Gee, that just doesn't add up."
 
Like most things, the significance of the white coat, it's length and cut, is only important when inside the hospital. The public at large doesn't know or care what color coat you wear.

Except of course the "regulars" who know that the short-coated people are students.

At our hospital, medical students wear short white coats and residents and above wear long coats.

PA's also wear long coats, as do research assistants, Phd's and anybody else involved in academic research.

The nursing students who rotate through from Grambling wear these dorky purple scrubs.
 
where are you macguyver?
 
It's interesting to here the general opinion that the White Coat Ceremony is insignificant.

It was a relatively big deal at my school. If I remember correctly, no one missed it out of 160 students (but then again, it might have been mandatory--can't remember). I can see that it seems foolish to give these naive medical students white coats when they don't know anything yet. However, when I went through it, I remembered thinking how it represented the accomplishment of getting into med school. Mine was at the very beginning of school too (like 1-2 weeks in), before "real" classes had started, so everything still had the new, exciting feeling to it. Definitely a proud day for the parents, relatives, and friends. But, to go with most of the other advice, probably not worth it to fly the parents out to see it.

Besides the symbolism of it, we needed those white coats the very next week, and every week since then. Not every school keeps the students away from patients during the first 2 years...
 
Originally posted by Ophtho_MudPhud
Because many schools now introduce clinical medicine to their first and second year class. They want their students to look professional when dealing with patients. This is a small price to invest in a group that traditionally does not drop out and considering the average student will pay 15K-30K for their education. A $30 coat is chump change.
Click to expand...


Our school introduced us to patients the second week of school too and we are not allowed to wear white coats when dealing with patients for the first two years. As long as you look professional you don't need the coat. I would feel like a poser wearing one for the first two years.
 
Most schools put their students in front of patients w/in the first 2 years...but that doesn't mean students need the coat.

Med. students won't be doing much of anything that might actually require a white coat until they are in the 3rd year.
 
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