College of Dental Medicine White Coat Ceremony
White Coat Symbolism
The White Coat Ceremony marks the beginning of a lifelong professional and educational journey. A traditional symbol of compassion and professional training, the white coat represents clinical excellence and serves to remind us of the privileges and duties we have as dentists and the responsibilities we have in service to the public. These responsibilities include leadership in the community, a commitment to life-long learning and the sacred obligation to always put the patient’s needs first. Your white coat is the outward symbol that you understand and put into daily practice respect for patient autonomy, beneficence, professionalism, nonmaleficence, justice, tolerance and veracity.