The physician’s white coat is a universal symbol of integrity, selfless, compassion, honesty and dedication to service. The Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) welcomed 432 student doctors entering the Class of 2028 with white coat ceremonies held July 26 and July 28.
KCU-Kansas City celebrated its white coat ceremony for the 270 members of the class of 2028 at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Student Doctor Reginald Boateng, KCU-Kansas City 2027 class member and Student Government Association (SGA) president, encouraged the new medical students to remember what inspired them to pursue osteopathic medicine and to recall that moment during challenging times they face over the next four years.
The 162 student doctors of the KCU-Joplin class of 2028 received white coats at Joplin High School Performing Arts Center with Student Doctor Cortland Brown, a member of KCU-Joplin class of 2027 and SGA executive vice president for the Joplin campus, sharing remarks. Brown urged the first-year medical students to call on faculty, staff, their loved ones and each another when they encounter adversity.
KCU alumnus Chris Paynter, DO, family physician at the SSM St. Mary’s Tipton Clinic in Tipton, Missouri, and associate director of Central Missouri Hospice, delivered the keynote address. Paynter also serves as the current president of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. Paynter challenged students to become a voice for change. “One aspect of being a physician involves being an advocate for your patients outside the exam room. Only we – the physicians – understand the barriers to great health care our patients face, so we must, as part of our job, also advocate for them,” he said.
In front of an audience of several hundred family members and friends, the new student doctors each appeared on stage to introduce themselves and receive the white coats they will wear for the next four years. As the ceremony concluded, students recited the Osteopathic Oath, pledging their loyalty to the profession. Video highlights of both ceremonies are available for viewing here.
The first white coat ceremony, led by the Gold Foundation in 1993, highlighted the importance of humanism in caring for patients. Since then, it has become an iconic ritual practiced by medical schools across the nation. Click here to learn more.
Congratulations and good luck to the COM class of 2028!
About Kansas City University
Kansas City University, founded in 1916, is a fully accredited, private not-for-profit health sciences university with Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Biosciences and a developing College of Dental Medicine. The College of Osteopathic Medicine is the eighth largest medical school in the U.S., the ninth most impactful medical school for primary care for the nation, the tenth most affordable of private medical colleges, and the leading producer of physicians for the State of Missouri. The College of Osteopathic Medicine has two sites strategically located on the University’s campuses in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri, to address the growing needs of both urban and rural populations. The University offers multiple graduate degrees; a doctor of osteopathic medicine; a doctor of psychology in clinical psychology; a master of arts in bioethics; a master of science in the biomedical sciences; a master of business administration in partnership with Rockhurst University; a new master of public health in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center; and plans to seat the first doctor of dental medicine students in 2023.
Reference:
Haley Reardon, Manager of Marketing and Communications
Kansas City University
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