White coat ceremony

The White Coat Ceremony (WCC) is a relatively new ritual in some medical (MD, DO), dental, optometry, audiology, chiropractic, dietetic, occupational therapy, physical therapy, podiatric, pharmacy, physician assistant, pathologists' assistant, nursing, naturopathic and veterinary schools that marks the student's transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health sciences. At some schools, where students begin meeting patients early in their education, the white coat ceremony is held before the first year begins. It is an example of a matriculation.

WCCs typically involve a formal "coating" of students.

Over 100 medical schools in the USA now have a WCC, and many students now consider it a rite of passage in the journey toward a healthcare career. Some schools also use this as a graduation from the entire program. For example, Moreno Valley College has a White Coat Ceremony for the Physician Assistant students at the end of their final term, where the short coats are discarded and long coats are given as a symbol of being equal clinicians to others who have earned the long coats.

According to some, WCCs have taken on a quasi-religious significance, that symbolizes a "conversion" of a lay person into a member of the healthcare profession and is similar to a priest's ordination to the priesthood, although it is notable that the white coat is a recent adoption by the medical profession. However, in many medical schools around the world students begin wearing their white coats during first year anatomy class, so there is no official white coat ceremony.

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