What is the significance of a doctor’s white coat? This white coat is an important universal medical symbol most often than not associated with a doctor. I see the white coat and I think of a dedication to doing the right thing. A commitment to helping others. A sign of professionalism. A pledge to integrity and always giving the best patient centered empathetic medical care you can, no matter the circumstance.
In medical school when the student receives their first white coat, it has much of the same meaning as a doctor’s. This coat provides the student the opportunity to emulate the qualities that are expected of the doctor they strive to become and an opportunity for the medical school cadre to further evaluate the student’s ability in doing so. This coat also provides initial validation that the hard work and dedication that they have put in has paid off. It provides a tangible reminder to the student as well as the community that the goal that they are after is real and if they continue their hard work, they just may become the doctors that they aspire to be.