The School of Medical Sciences (UCCSMS) has held the 10th White Coat Ceremony with a call on medical students to be humble and compassionate whiles they enter into the clinical stages of their studies.
The White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage event which is organised as a transition for medical students from the theory component to the practical phase of their training
The ceremony symbolises the medical profession and forms an integral part of the UCCSMS calendar.
The ceremony is reserved for students who have gone through the recognised number of years in pre-clinical training but are at the threshold of full clinical training in the medical school.
Speaking at the function, the Chairman of the Medical and Dental Council, Professor Paul Kwame Nyame, noted that the clinical component of would practically expose them to the medical profession, hence they were expected to be ethical in their relationship with the people they would interact with.
Call to Practice Medicine is a Call to Serve Humanity
“It is important for medical practitioners to learn that the call to practice medicine is a call to serve humanity. Truly honorable men and women respect the opportunity society is giving you to develop into sons of respectability and accolade the profession has earned with years of service to mankind,” he intimated.
Prof. Nyame advised the medical students to respect the privacy of their patients they come into contact with since they could also find themselves in their condition.
Caring for Patients
On her part, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh, said the white coat should remind the medical students of their responsibilities to offer quality care to their patients stressing that “The white coat signifies the virtues of altruism, responsibility, duty, honor, respect, and compassion”.
Prof. Edu-Buandoh called on them to perform their duties with honour as trained medical students of the University of Cape Coast.
Be Guided by the Tenets of the Medical Profession
The Dean of the UCC Medical School, Prof. Ivy A. E. Ekem, entreated the students to be guided by the tenets of the medical profession by reflecting on the core values of the profession. “Respect the sanctity of human lives; be committed to competence; respect the dignity of patients; be aware of the profession’s inherent limitations and above all, strive to balance personal and professional behaviours. She beseeched them.
She asked them to make reference to the core values daily to enable them to stand out in the medical profession. With the right attitudes, you can be knowledgeable and approachable,” she advised.
Medical Profession Comparable to the Ministry of Jesus Christ
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Dr. Eric Ngyedu, reminded the medical students that their profession was comparable to the Ministry of Jesus Christ in the Bible and, therefore, they should have a compassionate heart bearing in mind that the patient was a fellow creature in pain. He counseled that “Teaching, preaching, and healing should be your lot”.
The Registrar of MDC, Dr. Eli Atikpui, administered the UCC Matriculation Oath to the medical students.