August 3rd, some forty students will begin medical classes at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. In honor of the students Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Rich Crotty have declared that day, White Coat Day.
White Coat Day follows a tradition that welcomes doctors-to-be-into the medical profession.
Each of the forty students will be presented with a white coat on August 3rd, as they take their first steps towards becoming doctors. The students will receive the coats from their sponsors/donors that provided four year scholarship to support their training. The medical school is expected to train up to 120 students annually.
“Our charter class has been carefully chosen,” said Dean Deborah German, M.D. “They have proven that they have both great minds needed to master the science of medicine, and big hearts necessary to care for their patients. They have also shown the capacity to become the leaders and scholars of medicine’s future. Help us celebrate their arrival by wearing white on Aug. 3 to show our students that we support them and that we will all succeed together.”
The College of Medicine was built thanks to the innovative partnerships between state and local government, medical and non-medical businesses, community groups, nonprofit organizations, civic groups and individuals who not only said they wanted a medical school, but provided financial support and political will to turn the dream into a reality.
Dyer urged local residents to wear white on Aug. 3 to recognize the new class at the medical school and to commemorate the “partnership between the university and the region.”
The construction of the new medical school at Lake Nona is still ongoing, and so, students will commence classes at UCF’s campus until work is completed.
Over $1 billion has already been invested in construction at Lake Nona. According to the most recent economic impact study, by 2017 the new medical school will help create more than 30,000 local jobs and have a projected annual economic impact of $7.6 billion – an increase of $1.2 billion over the projection reported in the 2006 study.
[…] would all don white jackets today, a symbolic gesture known as White Coat Day, which marks the first day of their journey toward becoming doctors and welcomes would be doctors […]