KCU honors new medical students with traditional white coat ceremony

The physician’s white coat is a universal symbol of integrity, selflessness, compassion, honesty and dedication to service. The Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) welcomed 432 student doctors entering the Class of 2028 with white coat ceremonies held July 26 and July 28.

KCU-Kansas City celebrated its white coat ceremony for the 270 members of the class of 2028 at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Student Doctor Reginald Boateng, KCU-Kansas City 2027 class member and Student Government Association (SGA) president, encouraged the new medical students to remember what inspired them to pursue osteopathic medicine and to recall that moment during challenging times they face over the next four years.

The 162 student doctors of the KCU-Joplin class of 2028 received white coats at Joplin High School Performing Arts Center with Student Doctor Cortland Brown, a member of KCU-Joplin class of 2027 and SGA executive vice president for the Joplin campus, sharing remarks. Brown urged the first-year medical students to call on faculty, staff, their loved ones and each another when they encounter adversity.

KCU alumnus Chris Paynter, DO, family physician at the SSM St. Mary’s Tipton Clinic in Tipton, Missouri, and associate director of Central Missouri Hospice, delivered the keynote address. Paynter also serves as the current president of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. Paynter challenged students to become a voice for change. “One aspect of being a physician involves being an advocate for your patients outside the exam room. Only we – the physicians – understand the barriers to great health care our patients face, so we must, as part of our job, also advocate for them,” he said.

In front of an audience of several hundred family members and friends, the new student doctors each appeared on stage to introduce themselves and receive the white coats they will wear for the next four years. As the ceremony concluded, students recited the Osteopathic Oath, pledging their loyalty to the profession. Video highlights of both ceremonies are available for viewing here.

The first white coat ceremony, led by the Gold Foundation in 1993, highlighted the importance of humanism in caring for patients. Since then, it has become an iconic ritual practiced by medical schools across the nation. Click here to learn more.

Congratulations and good luck to the COM class of 2028!