The first week of classes each semester at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) culminates in the traditional White Coat ceremony for new students, as it did for the class of 2020 on January 15, 2016. “It is always a wonderful event,” said RUSM”s Dean and Chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty, M.D. “We were privileged to have in attendance His Excellency, Mr. Charles Savarin, the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica, and Mrs. Savarin.” Representing the prime minister was the Hon. Robert Tonge. Faculty members did the honors of donning and pinning the students.
“We pride ourselves on the diversity of our school, and it was reflected in this group, as it is in every cohort,” Dr. Flaherty said. “While most of the students in this incoming class were born in the US, the others were born in 34 different countries. They are 56 % male and 44% female, with an age range of 20 to 43, and an average age of 26. It may have been a rough road for many of them to get to this point, but they are all on track now to achieve their common dream of becoming a physician.”
One of the highlights of the ceremony is the keynote speaker, chosen from the ranks of RUSM alumni members; someone who is established in his or her career. The students are mesmerized by the person who so recently sat where they are sitting, and serves as the embodiment of their fervent aspirations. Invariably, the message is, “I made it. So can you.”
January’s speaker was Dr. Jason Lester, an emergency medicine physician. He was accompanied to the event by his wife, Dr. Ixsy Ramirez, a pediatric pulmonologist who was the RUSM White Coat speaker in 2013. They met on campus when they were medical students and both went on to graduate in 2006. Then they successfully went through the couples’ match together and began residency training. The proud parents of two children, they will soon celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.
“Cloaking of the white coat is now considered a rite of passage,” Dr. Lester said. “The white coat is a symbol of your drive and dedication to the field of medicine.”
Other Articles You Might Like
- Recorded White Coat Ceremony - Jan. 2016
- The First Steps to Your MD: The White Coat Ceremony
- Our Medical School Curriculum
- Clinical Rotations in the United States