White Coat Ceremony

[bnq]

Hi there! I will be starting PT school this fall and just found out my program doesn't do a white coat ceremony. Not gonna lie, I was pretty sad and bummer out when I learned this. I know we aren't actual medical doctors but I still always dreamed of having a white coat ceremony. I was wondering if I should petition to my school to see if we can start getting a white coat ceremony or if it's kinda of pointless thing DPT programs do? Any advice or stories of why or why not we should have them? Has anyone else ever petitioned for their program to start a white ceremony?
Thanks!

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[kdubz7w7]

Hi there! I will be starting PT school this fall and just found out my program doesn't do a white coat ceremony. Not gonna lie, I was pretty sad and bummer out when I learned this. I know we aren't actual medical doctors but I still always dreamed of having a white coat ceremony. I was wondering if I should petition to my school to see if we can start getting a white coat ceremony or if it's kinda of pointless thing DPT programs do? Any advice or stories of why or why not we should have them? Has anyone else ever petitioned for their program to start a white ceremony?
Thanks!

Oh that sucks!
I was part of an inaugural cohort. We asked about white coat sometime in our first year. They hadn't thought about it but agreed we should have one, and we had it right before we went to our first clinic, which I thought was the perfect timing. I know some medical professions do white coat right before start of school and I wouldn't like that - it wouldn't feel as earned.

If it were me, I would find out why they don't do one and based on that response, try to get one created.I'd also ask my classmates to see if anyone else agrees and also wants one.

 

[Sheldon]

If a white coat ceremony would mean a lot to you, it probably does to others. Reach out and ask if you can start one. My grad program had a "Blessing of the Hands" ceremony, which I thought to be an appropriate and meaningful to the profession of physical therapy.

 

[bnq]

thanks for the input and advice! I’m definitely going to reach out to some others in my class to see if they want one as badly as I do

 

[meregardner]

We don’t have one either! Totally bums me out. I am considering petitioning the chair of the program to do one before our first clinical a year from now. It’s seemed weird to me because I feel like nobody else is asking this question! While a white coat isn’t a part of our every-day wear, it’s a symbol of doctoral achievement in medicine, which is what we are doing getting a doctorate degree. Heck, some OTD schools do white coat ceremonies before mine! Ridiculous, but I get it. I hope it works for you guys!