White Coat Ceremony honors, welcomes incoming clinical learners

The School of Dentistry welcomed incoming clinical learners to the profession at the White Coat Ceremony on Friday, September 12.

First celebrated in 1993 in New York, the White Coat Ceremony marks the moment in which each clinical learner is bestowed with their first white coat, recognizing the professionalism and patient-centered care expected of the wearer. Members of the DDS Class of 2029, Dental Therapy Class of 2028 and Dental Hygiene Class of 2027 took part in this year’s ceremony, just a few weeks after beginning their coursework.

“The White Coat Ceremony marks an important milestone along our students’ professional and academic journeys,” shared Karl Self, DDS, MBA, director of the Division of Dental Therapy, in welcoming remarks. “The white coat is a standard of professionalism and caring, and an emblem of the trust that is granted to health care professionals by the patients we care for. It must be earned and maintained by the wearer’s actions.”

During the ceremony, each class presented and read its code of ethics. Developed during orientation, these personalized documents serve as a commitment members of a class make to themselves and one another as they learn and serve their patients. Students received their white coats onstage, then had the opportunity to sign their class’s code of ethics.

Students recited the Oath for New Dentists, Minnesota Oath for Dental Therapists and Oath of the American Dental Hygienists’ Associations, affirming their commitments to their chosen professions and their patients.

Merecedes VanDeWiele, BSDH, MSDH ’22, clinical assistant professor of dental hygiene, provided the ceremony's keynote address. 

She reflected on her own experience at her White Coat Ceremony, “nervously waiting to receive a white coat and not fully understanding the significance of this truly sacred moment.”

She encouraged students to get to know one another, across class years and programs, taking advantage of the interprofessional and team-based model of the school. “Dentistry thrives when we see our roles as flexible, allowing each professional to contribute their unique skills without being limited by a rigid hierarchy,” she reflected. “I encourage you to come together and view yourselves as a synergistic team of providers, whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Inviting learners to consider the ways in which they can lead throughout their professions, VanDeWiele encouraged them to say “yes” to new and surprising opportunities.

“This coat is more than a garment of clothing,” she concluded. “It represents a commitment to your patients, a commitment to lifelong learning and a commitment to ethical practice. Wear your white coat with pride, honor your oath with integrity and always lead with compassion.”

Congratulations to the DDS Class of 2029, Dental Therapy Class of 2028 and Dental Hygiene Class of 2027 on the achievement of this important milestone!

The White Coat Ceremony and the bestowing of white coats is supported by generous donations from Freeman Rosenblum, DDS ’61, and Shirley Rosenblum, BS ’61, MS ’85, the American College of Dentists, Renstrom Dental Studio and Pacific Dental Services.