LUCOM Class of 2030 White Coat Ceremony marks beginning of osteopathic education

The 13th annual White Coat Ceremony for the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine was held on Friday at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts, Concert Hall, where 161 new student-doctors donned symbols of their standing as medical students in front of their family and friends.

Many medical schools across the country host a White Coat Ceremony as a symbolic gathering for new students as they mark the beginning of their medical school journey.

“When the Class of 2030 dons their white coats today, they accept the importance of humanism in healthcare and embark on both a personal and a professional journey, and when it takes the oath today, they acknowledge the many responsibilities and privileges that accompany their chosen life’s calling,” said Dr. Sigmund P. Seiler, chair of the Department of Family Medicine and professor of family medicine, in opening the ceremony. “On behalf of our dean, Dr. Joseph Johnson, the faculty and staff of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, welcome to Lynchburg and the osteopathic medical profession.”

Liberty President Dondi E. Costin briefly addressed the Class of 2030, speaking to the symbolism of the white coat.

“In just a few minutes, you will receive a symbol of authority. You’ll receive a symbol of competence, a symbol of character, and in most of your cases, a symbol of Christlike service to others,” he said. “As you know, as any milestone would be, a milestone is one marker among many along the way. But just think for a second how many milestones there have already been in your life to get you to this point. Ever since you arrived here at LUCOM, you’ve done a (lot), and today you receive this symbol that we celebrate with you and your family.”

OMS-I Alyssa Salter, from Boerne, Texas, said the tradition of donning a white coat serves as a visual reminder of her first steps into medicine and a reminder of what’s to come.

“The professionalism that (the coat) means, and then also the care that is required and the integrity, it’s all (embodied) during this event,” she said. “There’s definitely a significance that comes with a white coat. I think it’s amazing that we get it as a seed sown into the future as physicians someday, instead of at the end of your medical school journey.”

In his keynote address, LUCOM Dean Joseph R. Johnson, DO, FACOOG (Dist.) congratulated the incoming class on entering medical school and sharing how they will serve others through each stage of life and healthcare.

“You have chosen a path to where you are going to put together the remarkable sciences, but more than that, you are going to put together a heart of servitude and a humbling attitude to all of those you come in contact with. You’re going to be able to assist God with the incredible gift of life, birthing babies, caring for families, dealing with mental health processes, and being able to be with them at the time of death.”

Johnson noted that LUCOM approaches the field of medicine with Christ — the ultimate healer — at the forefront, and he noted how the practice of osteopathic medicine embodies the holistic care that Christ calls them to provide.

“Our challenge for you is (Liberty University’s) motto, that we are Training Champions for Christ,” he said. “We realize to be a well-rounded physician, not only does it take academics, but it’s being able to understand in your heart who gives you the drive to be able to take care of patients and who gives you that measure of hope that you can get when they feel lost. (God) gives us the opportunity to invest in each other, to invest in patients, to be able to love one another as He has loved us. His word evokes the idea of healing, not only as a shepherd, but as our great physician. We take the osteopathic oath very seriously because we believe in body, mind, and spirit.”

LUCOM’s White Coat Ceremony has a tradition in which family members who are practicing or retired medical professionals who hold a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), or Doctor of Medicine (MD) separately coat their LUCOM student-doctor relative. The symbolic gesture, which included 25 students this year, acknowledges their families’ histories in the medical field and the legacy that’s continuing.

LUCOM’s Class of 2030 represents 35 states and multiple countries. The top five states are Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and New York. LUCOM’s incoming class has 20 students who earned degrees from Liberty University, with other academic institutions including the University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the College of William & Mary, Pepperdine University, Northwestern University, University of Virginia, and more.

The ceremony concluded with all coated student-doctors reciting the Osteopathic Oath, a pledge of loyalty and responsibility to the osteopathic profession and its principles.

While the incoming class has already taken two months of classes, OMS-I Steven Vogan, from Staunton, Va., said the event felt like a milestone in the beginning of his medical school experience because it featured a verbal reminder of his commitment to medicine.

“We’ve already started medical school, but tonight, speaking the Osteopathic Oath represents us taking ownership of what it means to be a physician,” he said. “Yes, we’ve been in the classroom, but we are going to be out in the world when we graduate as physicians, so tonight makes it all the more real.”

Instituted by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation in 1993, a White Coat Ceremony is celebrated at almost all medical schools in the United States, as well as in 19 other countries. As an international nonprofit organization, the foundation works with physicians in training and in practice, as well as other members of the healthcare community, to instill a culture of respect, dignity, and compassion for patients and practitioners.

Learn more about LUCOM and view other photos of the White Coat Ceremony on LUCOM’s Facebook page.