PA Class Celebrates at White Coat Ceremony

On July 18, a new class of Physician Assistant students celebrated the beginning of their journey through the Boston University School of Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) Program at the annual White Coat Ceremony.

The Class of 2019 was surrounded by family, faculty and friends as they became the fourth class of PA students to don their white coats at BUSM. They rejoiced in having learned how to complete a history and physical exam in their first semester and received white coats as a symbol of their progression to the clinical phase of their education.

The students were greeted by Mary Warner, MMSc, PA-C, the founding program director, and were addressed by Wade Professor and Chair of Medicine David Coleman, MD. Coleman spoke of the students’ “enormous capacity and ability,” urging them to embrace their roles as “learners, teachers and discoverers.” The program received 1,950 applications for the class of 2019 and accepted 45 students. Of those, 31 matriculated at the White Coat Ceremony.

The keynote speaker was Kirsten Thomsen, PA, who practices in Portland, Maine, and is a board member of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. She emphasized the importance of attentive and respectful interaction with patients, imploring the students to always recognize the common humanity of patient and caregiver.

Following the speeches, the students were called up one by one and cloaked in their white coats. When they had all received their coats, they recited the Physician Assistant Professional Oath, a summary statement of their professional duties and obligations. They processed out of the room, met along the way by the smiles and cameras of their families and loved ones.

View the Facebook album for more pictures.

Submitted by David Kopel, MD