Fourth-year dental student Jocelyn Gee remembers her dental white coat ceremony as one of the most special days in her life.
“I’m a first-generation college student, and so coming and embracing events like this is just really important for me and my family,” she said.
Gee, of Gardner, Kansas, addressed the 60 incoming dental students and 26 incoming dental hygiene students at the UNMC College of Dentistry’s White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 21.
“The most important thing is to really soak in every moment, every exam, every milestone that you’re going to see in the next four years, because it really does go by fast,” she said.
Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, remembers there being no ceremony at all when he received his white coat in 1985 — but that didn’t mean the moment was lost on him.
“When I got my white coat in 1985, there was no white coat ceremony,” he told the incoming dental class of 2030 and dental hygiene class of 2028. “The coats were just left in a pile in a room, and we picked them up ourselves. But we still saw the significance of that white coat, and we still felt the pride of putting it on, knowing we were entering a healthcare profession.”
Still, he recognizes the importance the ceremony has achieved since dental schools started holding them regularly in the 1980s and 1990s.
“The white coat is symbolic,” he said. “And it’s the symbolism of transitioning into a healthcare professional. For the students, for the families, this is going to be a long haul for them. But these kids are going to walk out of here as doctors of dentistry and as dental hygienists. It’s a big transition, psychologically and academically, and we’re celebrating that.”
For incoming student Bryson Berg, the white coat ceremony signals a new beginning. The incoming student, from Beaver Lake, Nebraska, has always wanted to be a dentist.
“I’m excited meeting the faculty professors and actually getting started, diving straight into the classes and the classwork,” Berg said before the ceremony.
Berg’s mother, Jody, was in the front row as the ceremony began.
She said she was excited “to watch (Bryson) hit that next big milestone and to really understand the importance of what it is to be a healthcare professional.”
Berg said she and Bryson have several health professionals in the family, including two dentists.
“This ceremony helps students tie the bow on this — that this really is an important step. And it’s not only their step, but it’s also how they’ll impact their patients down the road.”
M.W. “Dub” Vogt, DDS, who opened the ceremony, may have been the faculty member most familiar with the new students at the White Coat event – he serves as the college’s dean of admissions.
“I’m always proud of all the students we matriculate,” he said. “This is the start of a significant journey, and we have a special group of students.”
Dean Kugel agreed.
“We have an amazing class,” he said. “In addition to their qualifications, their personalities are second to none.”