EF
Evan Frigoletto
  • Honesdale, PA

The Commonwealth Medical College holds White Coat Ceremony for Class of 2020

2016 Aug 31

Evan Frigoletto and other first-year Doctor of Medicine (MD) students received the first symbol of their new profession as The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) held its eighth annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2020 on Friday, Aug. 12 in Scranton.

At the ceremony, TCMC's dean, Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., told the students, "Some doctors succumb to the temptation to think of their white coat as a shield, or a barrier, or a status symbol . . . You won't be one of those doctors. You will come to see this white coat not as a symbol of status, but as a reminder that your role is one of service: to the community, and to your patients."

Stanley Dudrick, M.D., F.A.C.S. presented the Dr. Lester Saidman Memorial Lecture, named in honor of a well-respected physician and educator from Luzerne County. Dr. Dudrick's pioneering work led to the development of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) which revolutionized the care of premature newborns and critically ill patients. In the four decades since its development, TPN has transformed patient care. The number of lives of children saved by TPN stands at more than 10 million, and the benefits to adults with a range of conditions has been no less substantial.

The Class of 2020's 108 future doctors participated in a ceremony, held in common with virtually every other medical in the nation, designed to welcome new medical students into the profession. Students recited an oath acknowledging their responsibilities as future physicians and their obligations to future patients. Then they were cloaked with the white coat -- the mantle of the medical profession - by a member of TCMC's faculty. White coats are provided by The Stanley J. Dudrick, M.D., and Alan G. Goldstein Endowed Fund.

A reception immediately followed in the lobby of TCMC's Medical Sciences Building, 525 Pine Street, Scranton.