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First-year pharmacy student Amanda Champ of Fremont receives her white coat from Staci Hubert, Pharm.D., president elect of the College of Pharmacy Alumni Association. |
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From left, incoming College of Pharmacy Dean Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., with outgoing dean, Clarence Ueda, Pharm.D., Ph.D., at the recent pharmacy white coat ceremony. On Nov. 1, Dr. Fletcher will take over for Dr. Ueda, who is stepping down after serving as dean for more than 20 years. |
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First-year medical student Natalie Hart of Cozad looks at the name of her white coat sponsor. This was the first year for the College of Medicine Alumni Association white coat sponsors. |
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Kossivi Dantey, left, and Jenna Derr share a laugh during the College of Medicine’s recent white coat ceremony. |
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Freshman dental student Jennifer Jones, sporting her new white coat, with her parents, Clayton and Joanie Jones. |
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From left, Dr. Shawn Powell presents a white coat to first-year dental student, Esther Pedersen. |
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From left, Yohanes Tot, who is serving a rotation at The Nebraska Medical Center, receives his pin from Michele Jurgensmeier. |
And that’s just what hundreds of UNMC students were urged to do during recent white coat ceremonies in the colleges of pharmacy, medicine and dentistry, as well as a pinning ceremony for the clinical laboratory science program in the School of Allied Health Professions.
In the College of Pharmacy, 64 new students received their white coats on Aug. 22 after being told a professional attitude breeds passion, the factor that differentiates between simply having a job or having a profession.
“I challenge you to make pharmacy your passion,” said Joni Cover, J.D., executive vice president of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association. “Passion is what will make you a professional.”
College of Pharmacy Dean Clarence Ueda, Pharm. D., Ph.D., echoed Cover’s comments.
“You are all professionals now,” Dr. Ueda said, “and you have white coats to symbolize your career’s journey.”
In the College of Medicine, UNMC alumnus Don Gibbens of Lincoln watched as his son, Jacob, received his white coat on Aug. 24.
“The white coat ceremony is a nice starting point for medical education,” said Gibbens, who remembers having to buy his own coat before his third year of medicine. “The white coat tells the students it’s a privilege to become a physician and not everyone is offered that privilege.”
True indeed, as 126 first-year medical students were admitted out of approximately 1,400 applications, said UNMC College of Medicine Dean John Gollan, M.D., Ph.D.
The Class of 2011 — which includes students from 12 different Nebraska colleges and 22 different states — has a higher percentage of males (62 percent) than females (38 percent).
“That’s a switch from the past few years,” Dr. Gollan said, when male-female ratios were more similar.
For the first time, College of Medicine alumni — 146 in all — sponsored the students’ white coats. Students were encouraged to contact their sponsor or sponsors, whose names were tucked inside the pocket of their white coats. About 113 pharmacy alumni also sponsored white coats — the second straight year that college conducted a white-coat sponsorship program.
For Gibben’s son, the ceremony marked the realization of a long-sought goal.
“Up until now, it’s been a dream,” Jacob Gibbens said. “Once you put the white coat on it symbolizes the hard work that’s about to start.”
The UNMC College of Dentistry in Lincoln recently welcomed 69 new students to its campus. Of those, 45 students are pursuing a doctorate of dental sciences degree and 24 are dental hygiene students. Their white coat ceremony was Aug. 24.
Students in the Clinical Laboratory Science program took their professional oath after a pinning ceremony on Aug. 7. The Class of 2008 consists of 41 students, all of whom were on campus this summer for initial courses and lab training.
The group members are now entering their clinical rotations in labs and hospitals in Omaha (The Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University Medical Center), Grand Island, Hastings, Kearny, Norfolk, North Platte and Sioux Falls, as well as Iowa City, Iowa, Columbia, Mo., and Casper, Wyo.