Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony | Class of 2023

[Applause] [Applause] good evening I'm John Tom Kovac I'm the founding dean of the ELSA Ness Floyd College of Medicine and on behalf of the eight hundred faculty staff students I welcome all of you to our third white coat ceremony especially family and friends who are here to support their loved ones I also want to introduce a few of our representatives from WSU we have vice president and Chancellor Gerald Ewald here with us we also have four of our board of regents from WSU we have many community leaders in the audience as well as representatives from students from our other classes as well as faculty and staff they along with president Schulz all sorts of community leaders and organizations and institutions across the state of Washington including state and federal legislators have helped us get to the place we are today so how about a warm round of applause for all of them it's my pleasure now to introduce vice president and Chancellor of the health science campus dr. Darrel Dewald Dean Tom Kovac thank you very much I'm genuinely honored to be part of your journey this is an exciting time to join the ELSA Ness Floyd College of Medicine you are the largest class of medical students that we've admitted 80 strong and among the first classes of students who will help to mold and to shape this program for generations to come our faculty and staff in the entire community of Spokane and Eastern Washington are delighted you're here this is an exciting time to be part of WSU Spokane our Health Sciences Campus which is now home to three of the university's colleges has not only emerged as a regional health sciences education leader but as fast expanding its research portfolio its attraction of world-class faculty and staff and its development of partnerships with public and private sector to grow our influence and our impact you are joining a campus that is filled with students who are dedicated to the Health Sciences health science care health science access quality across this state we encourage you to take great advantage of the unique campus to engage with your peers in nursing pharmacy speech and hearing sciences and nutrition and exercise physiology understanding the unique roles and value each of these professions has and will play an important part in your preparation for your practice and for providing the best care to your patients this is also an exciting time to be in Spokane this city is experiencing a tremendous amount of growth and investment in healthcare in the life sciences and beyond companies are expanding and relocating here new buildings are constructed and old ones are being renovated home values are up new restaurants and shops are opening parks streets and schools are getting major face major facelifts and several new and exciting developments are in the works to bring even more amenities and opportunities for you we are pleased to participate in your journey and we are committed to helping and to challenging you to grow to be the best that you can Dean Tom Kovac [Applause] Thank You vice president Chancellor Dewald for your remarks what a simply amazing day three seconds next Toronto two years ago at the inaugural white coat ceremony I told the story of a high school football coach who told me a person can do anything for three seconds for me football not so much as a physician though I've had so many life-changing three-second moments both for me and my patients and so will you some of those will bring agony to you and your patients but most of them will bring joy relief from pain and suffering and hope our profession is both terrifying and amazing at the same time three seconds next Boston two years ago how about one year ago I talked about the importance of the concept of next level and I challenged our students and everybody in the audience to take themselves to the next level that next version of yourself that's better than the version that there is today and I'm going to make that same challenge again to all of you we all should take ourselves to the next best version your future patients absolutely deserve that of you and I'm going to challenge everybody in the audience those people you love want your next best version as well so let's agree to challenge each other - our next best version of ourselves three seconds next Los Angeles so exactly who is this amazing group of 80 students that we have before us well as the Chancellor I already pointed out you do have a special distinction because you are the largest class we've ever recruited to the Elson s Floyd College of Medicine how about a round of applause 33% more that's 33% more opportunities for you to change lives in the state of Washington so let me tell you a little bit more about this class this class hails from 20 counties across the state every single one of them has ties to the state of Washington twenty-three percent actually come from rural counties fifty-nine percent are considered non-traditional fifty-four percent are women fifty-five percent come from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds thirty-eight percent our first generation eighteen percent have advanced degrees and six percent have given service to the military and I'd like to just take a moment and invite anybody in the audience and our students if you've served in the military please stand and be recognized now thank you collectively this group has done thousands of hours of service to people less fortunate than themselves both here in Washington and across the world and speaking of the world you all have traveled quite a bit these 80 students have traveled to more than 70 different countries collectively and speak 20 languages fluently that is amazing we have athletes musicians performers dancers bakers I'm hoping to see some results of that soon and I got to think in with how much you all have done did you guys actually go to college you are so accomplished three seconds next Detroit you and I know that you all worked really hard to get to this spot in your journey but we also know that you did not get here alone you had people helping you every step of the way people who sacrificed for you supported you when things were tough when maybe you had doubts who gave you words of encouragement let you cry on their shoulders so students if you would please rise turn around and face the audience and show the people who have supported you your appreciation for them all right you may be seated today I'm gonna answer the question what's more important the journey or the destination how about we start with a few definitions journey traveling from one place to another destination a place you travel to I've had many journeys in my life I've already given you a clue that some of the destinations of that journey but I've taken other kinds of journeys as well I've been on a journey to be a musician to be an actor to be a chess player to be a hockey player I've been in on a journey to be a husband a father a friend a colleague I've been on a journey to be a faculty member a Dean a founding dean some of those journeys are over some of those are continuing there's absolutely journeys I have yet to start the ELSA ness Floyd College of Medicine are on some journeys as well we're on a journey to train future health care professionals to be the very best they can be to take care of all of us in the state of Washington we're on a journey to become a destination for premier researchers who want to study in areas such as neuroscience sleep cancer substance abuse and population health we're on a journey to form partnerships and relationships with organizations and institutions right here and across the state to inspire people to solve problems and challenging healthcare environment and we're on a journey to recruit the most amazing students who identify and have a passion for our mission there's lots more journeys that our College is on and lots more journeys we have yet to undertake we still have this issue of solving the problem of the question what's more important the destination or the journey so I'd like all of you to help me think about this for a moment so what I'm going to ask you to do is reflect on a journey that you've already taken and completed any kind of journey you can close your eyes keep your eyes open but for about the next minute or so I'm going to ask you some questions and I'd like you to think about the answers to those questions for your specific journey are you ready okay here we go did you plan for your journey or was it spontaneous if you plan did you plan for a little time or a long time did you have the resources for your journey or did you have to borrow them or work for them did you have one destination in mind or many did you take anybody with you on your journey were there side trips were there detours did you get to your destination on time did you enjoy the journey did you enjoy the destination would you do it again would you make any changes would you recommend it to a friend or family member three seconds next journey I've told the students a few times this week already that the Elson has filed Elsa Ness Floyd College of Medicine has a recipe for success for the journey that they're going to take and I would suggest it's a recipe for success for all of us that recipe involves following a set of priorities and following them in a certain order I'm going to challenge everybody in the audience today including our students to hold true to these priorities so students if you don't mind helping me out a little bit on this one I'd appreciate some help so the number one priority is personal health you got to take care of yourself before you could possibly ever take care of another human being that means both your physical health and your mental health and that's true for all of us number one priority when we wake up in the morning should be our health after that students their second priority is that's right family and friends if someone you love is hurting is not in a good place how could you ever concentrate on your task at hand and when your task is a patient someone who's counting on you to do your very best you have to make sure you attend to those you love before you attend to your patient so help those who you love who are around you make sure you get them in the right place before you move on to the third priority and of course we all know the third priority is that's right the job for these guys it's studying studying their little hearts out to be the most amazing physicians they could possibly be for the rest of us that's whatever our role is whatever we do on a day to day basis but that's our recipe for success take care of ourselves personal health take care of our family and friends and then take care of the job there is one journey that you guys are going to take that I can speak with some authority about and I'm going to tell you about that journey in a second but first I'm going to answer the question I hope you figured out by now there's only one right answer to this question it's absolutely the journey frankly destinations are boring they're a very small part of our lives we all spend the majority of our lives on journeys you are all on journeys right now as you sit in this room they're the best and most important part and they are what give us value the journeys that we have not only personally but with the ones that we love and so what I'd like to do right now is take 10 seconds and ask everybody in this room to challenge themselves to start a new journey tomorrow now students you are already on a journey to become physicians that doesn't count you have to think of another journey it could be a place or it could be the kind of journey that I talked about maybe being a better friend being a better daughter or son whatever it is but I would 10 seconds right now I'm going to challenge everybody to commit to a new journey so I talked about this journey that I know you're undertaking that journey to be the most amazing physician you can possibly be let you know right now the journey is incredibly tough absolutely hard it will take you to places that you cannot even imagine as I said previously there will be parts of the journey that will be terrifying but there will be many more parts of the journey that will be awesome that will be gratifying that will be satisfying in some of them even mystifying some of you might find it hard to continue the journey at moments and that's okay because we know you had all these family and friends and folks to support you to this point in your journey and I've already told you now you have 800 more faculty staff students future patients to help you on the next part of your journey so we will absolutely be able to continue the journey it is the one journey in your life that I will tell you is absolutely worth taking and if you've been listening very closely to what I've said tonight you will understand my last sentiment I hope you never reach your destination congratulations [Applause] it's my pleasure now to introduce one of our colleagues here at the Ellison s Floyd College of Medicine this doctor came to us with an amazing pedigree of training she served across the world in multiple continents and countries helping medical schools get started and bringing medical education to rural and underserved areas she is well-liked by her colleagues she is respected as a physician and a clinician she is one of our founding Dean's here at the College of Medicine and it's really my privilege and honor to invite dr. Don DeWitt to the stage [Applause] hello everyone students parents colleagues friends Cougs we hope this white coat ceremony will inspire each one of you to our students congratulations and welcome to the medical community the white coat has long been a symbol of trust and respect given to physicians being given the privilege of wearing this coat represents a moment of celebration and success but also symbolically marks the beginning of a long journey toward becoming a qualified physician when someone asks me what do you do my reply is I am a physician as in other professions but not many jobs the I am can't always be separated from the rest of your life in medical school you will work hard to learn the facts skills and clinical reasoning required to become a resident you will choose a specialty based on your skills talents and your role models most importantly you will develop your professional identity as a physician which will be distinctly different from who you are now a better more nuanced wiser stronger you this will be challenging for many years when my children were upset or striving for something fixing climate change playing a new instrument but feeling helpless I would say it's okay you don't have your superpowers yet do your best and be patient since Escom has its own mysterious superhero I would like to elaborate on that analogy imagine that your white coat is a cape most superheroes have a secret persona as a junior superhero you will face the challenges of honing your new powers while managing your former private life your cape transforms you and signals to the public that you can leap tall buildings and solve medical mysteries you're famous how fun is that on the other hand superheroes must respond at a moment's notice no matter what is happening in their lives and must continually battle the desire to reveal their secret identities like superheroes we must carefully guard our professional persona when we are in the public eye and on Facebook superheroes may have the ability to defy gravity and surf the universe but they may not be able to whisk their loved ones off on a whim just as being a physician requires balancing our values let me illustrate one beautiful August evening many years ago I was out picking blackberries with my children my pager went off and I felt irritated at having to curtail the wonderful moment as I hurried the children toward home I called out watch out ow he bushes and my three-year-old son blithely replied why doctor Dave will feel me better his childhood faith that his pediatrician would be there for him reminded me that someone with that same faith needed me I shouldered my cape and went to help to paraphrase Shakespeare and spider-mans Uncle Ben we lucky lucky few must balance our great power with great responsibility measure by measure how should you begin we already know that you are amazing but your superpowers are nascent when I started medical school I felt grateful every day and could barely keep myself on the ground I knew it would be hard I knew I would have to stay up all night on call and I do not do it without sleep I struggled at times with wanting needing to play outside to sleep to be carefree I couldn't see ahead to the day-to-day wonders the privilege and the many gifts that people and events in my profession would give me when you are struggling to learn new skills hone them apply them when you are hungry and tired and desperately wish for a rest instead when you are learning to be a secret keeper learning to control your emotions even when you are screaming or crying inside and learning to give of yourself when putting the patient first is difficult remember that the joy of helping or seeing someone thrive or a hug or a thank you for caring doctor will more than compensate those challenges and experiences will transform you as you master the art of caring for yourself your colleagues and your patients you will become a physician perhaps you have questions about whether white coats are a good idea will your white coat cape make you too egotistical separate you from your patients spread germs or turn you even into a minor villain at times personally I love my white coat when I put it on I feel my special role and responsibilities but when I worked in Australia at an Aboriginal health center my white coat made patients feel uncomfortable and I quickly abandon it because gaining my patients trust was paramount yes I missed the pockets in contrast research shows that most patients in the u.s. prefer doctors in white coats parenthetically white coats also represent cleanliness by the way clean is important so wash yours often in some as you earn the trust and respect of your patients and colleagues your white coat is respectful recognition that earning the status of physician is not easy when I got married another big life choice someone said choose right then be right you have chosen this profession and we at F's calm have chosen you as you Don your white coat celebrate and remember tonight you have the right stuff and you belong now work to represent yourselves and our profession well in other words commit to understand what it means to be right as you become a physician at that point I hope your white coat will become part of you and that it feels like it fits perfectly [Applause] it's now my pleasure to introduce our senior associate dean for student affairs admissions and enrollment dr. Leyla Harrison who began the white coat ceremony the actual coding of our students so dr. Harrison dr. de Wilde would you join me [Applause] it is my honor to begin the cloaking procession from the Everett campus Morgan Abbi [Applause] rook beyond [Music] [Applause] [Applause] mariko ching [Applause] Nicholas Chuck [Music] [Applause] [Applause] James Cho [Applause] [Applause] Jay joy [Applause] [Applause] faith dice [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Joseph Hendrickson [Applause] [Applause] Julie Wang [Applause] [Applause] Oxana flamenco [Applause] [Applause] Adam not [Applause] [Applause] sarah Krawczyk Veronica Lou Bava [Applause] [Applause] Samuel Mar Bay [Applause] [Applause] Justin Seymour [Applause] [Applause] Joseph Shen Anna ting [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] IV Tran [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Olivia Vargas [Music] [Applause] Olivia Wang [Applause] [Applause] from the Spokane campus Jeremy all [Applause] [Applause] Sam Adams [Applause] [Applause] carsten Ashton [Applause] [Applause] Christopher berry [Applause] garrison Colvin [Applause] Connor Dixon [Applause] Marlina enslie [Music] [Applause] [Applause] cade epic [Applause] Ashland Felker [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Casey Johnson Abby Knickerbocker [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Rob Meyer [Applause] [Applause] le Nava at there [Applause] [Applause] Yuri Nestor ook [Applause] [Applause] Emily PO [Applause] [Applause] Jason when Reid [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Kalpana Stephen a some [Applause] [Applause] Abbey web [Applause] [Applause] Abraham Weiss [Applause] Lana Yorkin [Applause] [Applause] from the tri-cities campus Cody Avalos [Applause] [Applause] Danika balls eager [Applause] crystal Bruce [Music] [Applause] Raven burns [Applause] [Applause] braum kohler Cameron Cup [Applause] [Applause] Brianna dias [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Josiah ekunji [Applause] [Applause] Rachel Karuna [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Caitlin Larsen [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Felicia Liu [Applause] [Applause] Sarah Lewis [Applause] [Applause] Esmeralda Lopez [Applause] [Applause] tn win [Applause] autumn pack [Applause] [Applause] Christian BAM [Applause] [Applause] Devon bloomin [Applause] [Applause] hey Suze Salcedo [Applause] Courtney sherek [Applause] [Applause] she meant n [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] from the Vancouver campus Joelle Birbal [Applause] Ross Boudreau [Applause] Michelle Chu [Applause] [Applause] Kenny Darcy [Applause] in many one Garcia [Applause] [Applause] Athena hoppy [Applause] [Applause] Tevin Kegel [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Lara Khalil [Applause] [Applause] Thomas ku [Applause] [Applause] Chloe Lee [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Jennifer Lee [Applause] [Applause] Jacob Mansfield [Applause] [Applause] grace MacPhail [Applause] [Applause] Pranav Meili cheddar boob [Applause] [Applause] hon win [Applause] [Applause] daelin Richards [Applause] [Applause] Baili Simon [Applause] [Applause] Danielle's Bella see [Applause] [Applause] max Sutherland [Applause] Cory Thurman [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] I don't know why I'm standing behind the podium I don't need to do that I'll wait for you Larry before I announce our new class I want to take care of a few things there are so many people that go in to making this night to be a first class experience for everyone and I just want to show our appreciation for all those who've worked behind the scenes who worked at the front of the house the back of the house let's all give them a round of applause well you know how I feel about journeys and destinations I hope a few of you might share the journey that you decided on a little bit ago that you're going to embark upon I hope you share that with me afterwards we're going to have an amazing opportunity to take some pictures if you'd like we'll have a photo booth set up sort of towards the front doors and you and your loved one can take as many pictures as you want and I'll stay till however late it takes to get all the pictures done so I hope all of you will do that when we do get ready to leave we're going to ask that the students be allowed to be dismissed first the students and I are gonna go upstairs and take a picture and then as soon as we're done with that we'll release the students back to all of you family and friends so that you can congratulate them but if you would let us please leave the auditorium first we would be also grateful well how about you guys rise for me and I'd like to introduce you all see the Elson s floyd class of 2023 if you would turn around hi students if you would stay standing and I'd invite any other clinicians in the audience because now we're gonna read our oath so if any clinicians in the audience would like to stand and read the oath with the students I would invite you to do that now dr. DeWit will you lead us please yes the oath is in the middle of your program where the staple is if you're searching for it madly students could you just turn around for a second I know that was confusing we practiced but we weren't in here okay ready I promise to the best of my ability to practice medicine with compassion and thoughtfulness I recognize that membership within this profession comes with privileges but also attendant responsibilities and ethical duties I will value the discoveries of those physicians and scientists upon whose shoulders I stand and in time will seek to impart my knowledge to others I will recognize the limits of my own understanding and continue with diligence to keep abreast of advances in medicine for the benefit of patients when indicated I will seek the collaboration of other physicians and colleagues I will endeavor to discover and understand my own biases in acknowledging that all persons are entitled to non-discriminatory access to medical care I recognize that health is a human right I pledge to be an advocate for those in need I will remember that medicine has the power to both heal and to harm in my practice of medicine I will place patient interests before my own I will respect the privacy individuality and autonomy of patients and vow to neither treat patients nor carry out research on human beings without freely informed consent I will follow my conscience even when doing so creates hardship I will recognize the of my own well-being to the relationship between physician and patient caring for myself as I do for those around me I will safeguard the health of each patient but also the health of the population I make this declaration on my honor and in front of my family friends classmates and teachers to be upheld throughout my time as a member of this profession stay standing because we are going to be leaving soon I hope all of you will stay for a long time and socialized and get to know all of us thank you so much for coming tonight and I look forward to seeing you in the photo line thank you [Applause] [Music]

Channel: WSU Medicine

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Id: ZMo1zdOB3Cs

Length: 67min 14sec (4034 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 20 2019