Stanford Stethoscopes

On Wednesday, I attended Stanford's Stethoscope Ceremony to celebrate a few of my friends who are beginning medical school there. It was really fun; I was quite glad I managed to snag an invitation. They had a reception at the posh Schwab residential center and quite a nice dinner (in fact, through my undergraduate years, I had never seen the inside of Schwab). The ceremony itself was less formal but more cozy than mine last year; instead of having all the students together for a formal presentation, everyone was with their families enjoying dinner while the speeches were delivered. The speeches were quite good, emphasizing the changes that need to be made to health care delivery. Instead of white coats, Stanford presents students with stethoscopes. This is a very Stanford thing to do; since the white coat separates the physician from the patient, Stanford instead chooses to give incoming students a stethoscope, which connects the physician and the patient. Though I have to say, I rather liked putting on my white coat for the first time during my ceremony. It was an excellent evening. Congratulations to my friends and the rest of the incoming class of 2007 at Stanford.