White coat ceremony
A White Coat Ceremony (WCC) is a relatively new ritual especially in medical studies around the world. Typically, the students wear a smock during or after the festive event , which became a symbol of their namesake.
description
The White Coat Ceremony serves as a ritual of passage for students of medicine or related studies in the health field. As part of an academic celebration, after having passed the basic science exams in biology, chemistry, anatomy, etc. in the presence of their friends and family, a person of great respect from the university, usually the rector , president or chancellor, awards them a smock and a certificate. In some cases, a solemn promise is made from the students as part of the ceremony, which is based on the Hippocratic oath . In Austria, due to the change of course, the student degree "cand. Med." connected, which, however, only has a decorative character and is only used within the university.
There are general differences: while at most universities and colleges in German-speaking countries the change from the pre-clinical section to the clinical section takes place and is celebrated from the 4th semester onwards, students receive medical schools because of the fundamentally different training system the knee-length, conventional medical gown as a symbol of belonging, sometimes already in the first year. Last but not least, shorter clinic coats are not common for medical students in Germany and Austria.
history
The first White Coat Ceremony worldwide took place at the University of Chicago in 1989, the first in its present form, however, at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons .
While over 100 medical schools in the USA are performing white coat ceremonies, they have only been held in Europe for a few years. In Germany, the student council of the University of Cologne held on October 13, 2010. The first White Coat Ceremony in Austria took place on October 8, 2012 at the Medical University of Graz .
discussion
The White Coat Ceremony is not only met with approval. The quasi-religious significance of the gown, which shows that the wearer belongs to the medical standard and is often subsumed under the "gods in white", is criticized in particular.
Proponents, on the other hand, cite arguments such as a greater sense of belonging to the university and the medical profession . It is also discussed whether a white coat ceremony can foster compassion and empathy .
credentials
- ^ A b Warren, Peter M. " For New Medical Students, White Coats Are a Warmup, " Los Angeles Times , October 18, 1999.
- ^ " White Coat Ceremony, Medical Student Council Cologne "
- ↑ http://www.meduni-graz.at/cms.php?pageName=301&year=2012&newsId=23472 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Austria's first White Coat Ceremony
- ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703466704575490063047006010.html.html#
