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Making the Rounds at UNLV School of Medicine
Issue 210
- September 3, 2019
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Friends & Colleagues,
As you read this, I’m just getting started in my new role as special advisor for community relations and accreditation for the UNLV School of Medicine. I’ll be narrowing my focus on specific issues that I’m particularly interested in and reaching out to supporters and stakeholders, getting their feedback and using it to help shape our path forward. I’m just a few doors down from Dean John Fildes, who has moved into the Dean’s office, and who I’m certain will do an outstanding job overseeing the day to day operations of the school. You’ll be hearing from both Dean Fildes and myself in future editions of the “Making the Rounds” newsletter. Today, we’re taking a look back at a very joyous event, our most recent white coat ceremony for our third class of medical students. The white coat ceremony is an important rite of passage, welcoming students into the medical profession. The coats symbolize professionalism, caring and trust, characteristics that are part of the bedrock of the practice of medicine. As you’re about to see, that symbolism was not lost on our students, who did a wonderful job representing the UNLV School of Medicine with their thoughtfulness and poise.
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UNLV School of Medicine Class of 2023 White Coat Ceremony
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UNLV School of Medicine Class of 2023 White Coat Ceremony included the students reciting their oath and receiving their first white coat at Artemus W. Ham Hall.
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When the UNLV School of Medicine recently welcomed its third class to the profession of medicine, it was done largely through a ritual that is now seen as a rite of passage for new medical students -- the White Coat Ceremony, where each student is presented with a white coat symbolizing their entrance into the medical profession.
The UNLV ceremony includes speakers and a student written oath (every year the new class of medical students writes its own) that is recited in front of family members, school leadership and their peers to acknowledge their central obligation for caring for patients. (See text of Class of 2023 oath below.)
The white coat ceremony tradition is actually relatively new in the world of academia.
It wasn’t until 1993 that a White Coat Ceremony took place. Done at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, it was the brainchild of Dr. Arnold Gold, a professor of clinical neurology and clinical pediatrics there. He believed the-then existing practice of having students wait until the end of their training to formally announce their adherence to expectations and responsibilities appropriate to the medical profession occurred four years too late. Dr. Gold’s idea caught on quickly. In just a few years, the ceremony was adopted by nearly every medical school in North America.
What surprises many people, as Dr. Mark S. Hochberg wrote in 2007 in the AMA Journal of Ethics, is “that prior to the late 19th century, doctors wore not white but black garb.” Dr. Hochberg points out that “Black attire was, and is, considered formal (e.g., today’s tuxedo). Consequently, until about 1900, physicians wore black for their patient interactions since medical encounters were thought of as...formal matters.” Dr. Hochberg said an “additional or alternative possibility for the dark garb might be that until the late 19th century, seeking medical advice was usually a last resort and frequently a precursor to death.”
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UNLV School of Medicine Interim Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Education Dr. Neil Haycocks with Class of 2023.
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UNLV School of Medicine Class of 2023 student Natasha Greene celebrates at reception following white coat ceremony.
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"The implementation of antisepsis contributed to the transition of medicine to a science-based discipline. Cleanliness became a core tenet of medical practice, reflected in the pure white attire now inextricably linked with the profession."
Dr. Neil Haycocks
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How members of the medical profession came to wear white to symbolize cleanliness was part of a fascinating presentation at the Aug. 23 White Coat Ceremony by Dr. Neil Haycocks, the UNLV School of Medicine Interim Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Education:
The period when the white coat became a symbol of medicine is bookended by two works by renowned American artist Thomas Eakins.
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The first, produced in 1875, is an oil painting titled The Gross Clinic. It depicts famed academic trauma surgeon Dr. Samuel Gross, then 70-years-old, lecturing Jefferson Medical College students while his assistants surgically treat a young man for osteomyelitis of the femur. Everyone in attendance is dressed in black, which was the typical medical attire of that time.
Medical encounters of the era were considered formal and serious interactions between physician and patient. In part this reflected the limited capabilities of the medical field, with these often solemn interactions associated with impending death rather than healing. To this day black is still considered formal, the de facto color for tuxedos and funerals.
The second Eakins work, also in oil, is The Agnew Clinic. It was commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania medical class of 1889 to honor famed surgeon and anatomist Dr. David Hayes Agnew upon his retirement. Like Dr. Gross before him, Dr. Agnew stands in a medical amphitheater lecturing medical students while his assistants undertake an operation, this time a mastectomy. The attire, however, is different, with Dr. Agnew wearing in a white smock, his assistants likewise dressed in white, and the patient covered by a white sheet.
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The contrast between these two paintings indicates that in a relatively brief span the color of medicine had gone from one extreme to the other. The explanation for this dramatic change resides with a British surgeon named Joseph Lister.
In the late 1800’s Dr. Lister was a professor of surgery at the University of Glasgow, and became intrigued by the published work of Louis Pasteur, who was making early advancements in the field of microbiology. Pasteur had succeeded in convincing most of Europe of the correctness of germ theory, and Dr. Lister began searching for methods to apply germ theory to surgical practice. He eventually began applying phenol to surgical instruments and wounds, and documented a dramatic decrease in the incidence of post-surgical infections.
The implementation of antisepsis contributed to the transition of medicine to a science-based discipline. Cleanliness became a core tenet of medical practice, reflected in the pure white attire now inextricably linked with the profession.
To the new class of students, before you officially don your white coats for the first time, I ask that you take a moment to examine and appreciate them. Because this is quite literally the cleanest they will ever be. Take a mental snapshot, it will provide an interesting contrast to what they will accumulate by the end of third year: crumbs from hastily eaten snacks, stains from hastily consumed energy drinks, pen and pencil marks from hastily scribbled notes, and evidence of encounters with various bodily substances that I will not enumerate here. Remember, bleach is your friend.
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UNLV School of Medicine Class of 2023 Oath
I am honored to offer this oath upon the inception of my medical career. I fully recognize the moral responsibilities of my chosen profession, as I affirm:
Each patient is a person, to be treated with dignity, humanity, and empathy. I will respect life, honor patient autonomy, and protect privacy.
The well-being of my patients is entrusted to me. I will be an advocate for my patients and use the medical skills and knowledge necessary to do so.
All patients are equally deserving of my skill and care. I will foster an environment of inclusivity and diversity in medicine.
Honesty and integrity are foundational to my practice. I will acknowledge my inevitable limitations and failures, be open to guidance from others, and always strive to become a better physician.
Others have paved the path that is before me. I will value and respect what has been given me by my mentors. I will teach others what I've been taught, give back what I've been given.
Medicine is demanding and ever-changing. I will be a lifelong learner. I will practice self-care as a responsibility to myself and patients.
The obligations of medicine require me to hold myself and others to the highest standard of accountability. I will be an ambassador of medicine, represent the profession well, and continue to earn society's trust.
I affirm this declaration and pledge to faithfully uphold these values
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IN THE NEWS
Click to see recent stories about UNLV School of Medicine
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Telemundo Las Vegas
Possible Hepatitis Exposure at Las Vegas 7/11
Interviewed: Dr. Adib Rodriguez Solares
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MEDICINE BY THE NUMBERS
$329,000
In Statista's "Top 10 U.S. states by annual compensation for physicians as of 2019," Nevada's physicians ranked third at $329,000 per year. Oklahoma's doctors led the way at $337,000 per year, followed by Alabama's physicians at $330,000.
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All previous issues of
Making the Rounds with Founding Dean Dr. Barbara Atkinson
, are available on our website.
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To become a subscriber to the UNLV School of Medicine newsletter,
Making the Rounds with Founding Dean Dr. Barbara Atkinson click
here
.
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Get UNLV School of Medicine stories, events, and news everyday!
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