Ceremony Marks Significant Turning Point in Training

By Dirk Hoffman

The ceremony recognizes the transition of rising third-year medical students from the academic to the clinical years.

The event, developed by students and faculty, aims to reinforce the confidence felt by students entering their clinical years by discussing fears and expectations, providing insight and revisiting the oath taken during their White Coat Ceremony.

The intention of the ceremony is to initiate medical students into their clinical years with a support system.

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, offered encouraging words during her opening remarks.

“You have successfully completed the first two years of classroom training, managing everything from simulations and labs to tests and presentations,” she told the students. “Now, it’s time to enter into the clinics and hospital wards — some of you will go out into the community — seeing a diverse patient base with a wide range of medical conditions.”

Brashear asked the students to take a moment to think about the relationships they are going to develop with residents and faculty, but also with their patients and their families.

She noted that when she began her internal medicine clinicals at Indiana University School of Medicine, she saw one of her first patients in the ER on her first day on call.

“While student clinicians often move from one rotation to another, I ended up taking care of this patient for three months,” Brashear said. “I learned about being a doctor at the bedside of that patient, so do not underestimate the importance that you have in the lives of the patients you care for.”

“That experience really instilled in me the value of the physician-patient relationship and that patients can be your best teachers.”

Brashear also reminded the students it is normal and OK to feel anxious before their rotations begin.

“Quell your anxieties by knowing that you will be under the watchful eye of trained physicians — residents, fellows, and attendings. You are part of the team now,” she said. “Listen to their advice and cherish their stories. These too are an important part of your training.”

“It is truly an amazing responsibility to wear this white coat. Always be patient-centered, always put the patient first.”

Fred D. Archer III, MD, associate dean for admissions, served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker, providing some tips for the students to use during their clinical rotations.

“Congratulations on making it to the next plateau in your journey to becoming a doctor,” he said.

Archer offered the following words of advice:

• show up early and be prepared
  
• never be afraid to answer and ask questions
• learn your schedule early on
• talk to your colleagues about their experiences on rotations

And as the proud son of a dentist, Archer told the students that his father told him to always remember, “attached to those teeth is a person.”

“You must always be mindful of the human element in every single encounter,” Archer said.

Lovejit Singh, Class of 2026 Polity president, also offered some remarks to his fellow classmates.

“The familiar routine of lectures and self-study will be replaced with the unpredictable reality of the clinical setting. Fear of the unknown is natural,” he said. “Worry not, remember, we’re not navigating this alone. We’ve built a camaraderie these past two years. We've studied together, commiserated together, and celebrated together. This bond will be our anchor in the years ahead.”

Singh also encouraged his classmates to remember their friends and family throughout the process.

“We’ve also become masters of wearing different hats. From student to researcher to volunteer, we seamlessly switch gears, driven by the desire to make a difference,” he said. “It’s this very drive that pushes us beyond our limits, but it’s also important to remember the most vital hat we wear — the one identifying us as sons, daughters, friends, siblings, mothers, and fathers.

“As clerkships begin, responsibilities will pile on, and exhaustion will likely set in. But throughout this journey, let’s prioritize our loved ones,” Singh said. “They are our unwavering support system, the fuel that keeps us going. Without their understanding and encouragement, all this dedication would lose its meaning.”

Students in the Class of 2025 nominated six residents to receive the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Awards. The awards are based on their demonstration of commitment to teaching and compassionate treatment of patients, families, students and colleagues.

Maxwell Kahn and Rylee Zavala, both Class of 2027 — members of the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) — presented the awardees, who are:

• Jennifer E. Anthone-Kloss, DO, Department of Anesthesiology
• Connor James Gust, MD, Department of Medicine
• Adam Howard, MD, Department of Psychiatry
• Andrew Hurst, MD, Department of Medicine
• Jeremy V. McDuffie, MD, Department of Surgery
• Joseph R. Pollichemi, MD, Department of Surgery

Nicholas J. Silvestri, MD, associate dean for student and academic affairs, led students and all physicians in attendance in reciting the oath of medicine, in which they pledged to:

• respect the scientific gains of physicians and scientists who have come before them
• remember that there is art and science to medicine
• pursue the expansion of knowledge throughout their lives for the benefit of their patients
• practice medicine with conscience and dignity
• respect patients’ privacy and remain non-judgmental of them 
• focus on prevention of disease and health conditions
• tread with care in matters of life and death

The event was presented by the PCC, established in 2000 when the Code of Professional Conduct for UB medical students was ratified. It consists of three student representatives from each class and three faculty members.

Funding for the event was provided by the John A. Wendel Endowment Fund, established by Virginia Wendel; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the Medical Alumni Association.

The ceremony took place June 28 in the David C. Hohn, MD, Lecture Hall in the Research Studies Center at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.