The white coat is one of the most visible symbols of the health care provider, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine students of the Class of 2020 took part in the White Coat Ceremony on July 29 at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Theatre.

The White Coat Ceremony stresses the importance of humanism and professionalism in the practice of medicine. The white coat has been the visual hallmark of physicians since the 19th century. This tradition for first-year medical students marks the student’s transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health sciences.

Steven L. Berk, M.D., TTUHSC executive vice president, provost and dean of the School of Medicine, said more than 100 medical schools in the United States now have a white coat ceremony and many students consider it a rite of passage in the journey toward a health care career.

“For many students, dreams of putting on the white coat begin the day they are accepted into medical school. The coat symbolizes that the years of hard work and dedication have finally paid off,” Berk said. “The student’s white coat also symbolizes that they have been invited into the prestigious profession of medicine, a privilege which comes with great professional responsibility.”

The 182 new medical students include 34 from Texas Tech University, 18 from University of Texas Southwestern, 13 from Baylor University along with graduates from Cornell University, Duke University, Emory University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Yale University, U.S. Air Force Academy and Vanderbilt University among many others.