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The White Coat Ceremony was held at the UP Medical School on 17 September, during which students who started their pre-clinical studies received and put on the symbol of the medical profession, the white coat.

The leaders of the UPMS and the UP Clinical Center, and the directors and senior teachers of the departments involved in the education of the students welcomed the prospective doctors at the ceremony held in the hall of the Medical School. The solemn handover of the white coat has been held at the Medical School since 2015.

“You have reached one of the important stages of your medical studies; you can move from basic sciences to clinical studies by putting on the white coat,” said Professor Erika Pintér, Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy.

She recalled that long ago, in the Middle Ages, doctors wore black; medicine was considered magic then. They wore a suit in the 19^th century, and according to contemporary photographs, they also performed surgeries in it. As science evolved and medicine changed from mysticism to science, doctors put on the white coat like scientists and researchers working in laboratories.

“Wear the white coat with dignity and honour, be very proud to be students of the University of Pécs Medical School. Do your best to enhance the reputation of this institution in your future medical careers” - Erika Pintér concluded her speech, wishing all students success in their further studies.

Dr. Dóra Endrei, Vice-President of the UP Clinical Center, spoke about the importance of the day. As she said, the white coat is the symbol of the medical profession. The white colour has become a symbol of purity, hope, life, and it carries reliability, expertise, and hope for a better life for patients.

Dr. Tamás Tényi, Vice-Dean, greeted the students of the English program while dr. András Vereczkei, Head of the UP Clinical Center Department of Surgery, welcomed the German program students. Following the speeches, the coats were handed over to the students by the directors of the institutes and clinics involved in teaching pre-clinical subjects.

“When I look at it, I see the path towards my goals, and it is reassuring to put it on and feel that I am on the right track.”

“Until now, I did not really know what a white coat ceremony was like because it was not possible last year to hold the big event due to the pandemic,” said Méda Mészáros, student at the UPMS after the ceremony.

“Last year, I accompanied my upper-year friends to their small group white coat ceremony, and I was very proud of them as they waited for their name to be called and then to put on the brand-new white coat. And after all that came the many beautiful, proud grins I could watch on the other side of the camera. So intelligent, confident, and purposeful, proud people stood there!

It was the moment that motivated me. I wanted to acquire the knowledge and presumably the wisdom gained from it too so that I could wear the white coat with such pride one day.

This year’s ceremony was much bigger and more serious than I expected. I sat a little surprised in the crowd and watched in shock how many of us there were, how many guests came to see us, and how many teachers were sitting in front of us who our examiners will be one day. At that moment, these first two years seemed so tiny all of a sudden that I did not even understand why we were celebrating.

Then, seeing the faces of my classmates as they walked back to their seats after receiving the coat, I understood. We have to celebrate! We have to celebrate our perseverance and strength because we have managed to acquire all the basic knowledge in two years, which is not an easy task.

The point of the whole thing is not the coat itself but what it symbolizes. It is a superhero coat to someone, or it means strength to someone else. When I look at it, I see the path towards my goals, and it is reassuring to put it on and feel that I am on the right track,” she concluded.

“I am starting to believe that I can become a doctor.”

“Success,” said Máté Verbói when we asked him about what it meant to him to take over the white coat.

“I just realized that I am a third-year student. We did not meet anyone last year because of the pandemic; the exams were held with personal attendance, but now it was good to see the others; I felt that I belonged to this community. This is special now; I am starting to believe that I can become a doctor.

Several of my former high school classmates have already earned their bachelor’s degrees, which is good feedback from the university that we are in the right place, on the right track. It felt good to celebrate with the family,” he added.

Photos of the White Coat Ceremony can be viewed in the gallery below:

The ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook by the UPMS English-German Student Council; the ceremony can be watched  by clicking here.