Begun in 1995, the White Coat Ceremony is designed to mark the transition into the medical profession and the beginning of the student's journey to becoming a doctor. During the ceremony, new students receive the white coats that symbolize their future profession and take a pledge to provide care that is both skilled and compassionate.

While recognizing that medicine is a scientific endeavor, the White Coat Program emphasizes the more humanistic aspects that are sometimes described as the art of medicine.

By publicly articulating these values such as respect for patients and compassionate care giving at the beginning of their medical education, the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine provides a strong, values‑based foundation for their future.

For more information on the White Coat Ceremony as practiced at many medical schools, see the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine (www.humanism-in-medicine.org).