White Coat

Friday morning, we had our first class which was a case study of a motor vehicle accident. It was actually a whole lot more exciting than I expected, but I can't give away why because it's a surprise and I expect some people reading this might end up at UCSF. In any case, we learned a little about trauma and pneumothorax (collapsed lung) as well as diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

My parents came up for the White Coat ceremony. Before the ceremony, I didn't expect too much. I'm not sure why, but I usually don't think these things are such a big deal. It was held at the new Mission Bay conference center (near SBC ballpark).

Everyone was all dressed up (which was nice, and we probably won't achieve that again until graduation). They had a string trio, elegant programs, and (I realize this is an odd observation) really comfortable chairs. Dean Kessler welcomed all 153 of us as people who are "willing to treat all patients equally, touch what others see as untouchable, sign up for the promise of blood, toil, tears, and sweat." Several of the other big names spoke, and I really enjoyed their comments. Unlike undergrad, the talks were all very specific to the practice of medicine and its relation to science and society.

We were then coated by our advisers, very reminiscent of grad students being hooded by their mentors. It was neat, and I was glad I didn't fumble putting on the coat. We also recited the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath, called the Oath of Lasagna (I'm not kidding, it's named after Louis Lasagna).

Afterwards, they had a very nice reception. My parents were really happy, the food was very good, and I got a lot of congratulations from the other people in my class and their families.