The white coat is one of the most recognizable symbols in medicine, associated with professionalism, scientific knowledge, compassion, and a commitment to patient care. Yet both the garment and the ceremony that celebrates it are more recent traditions than many realize.
The White Coat Ceremony dates to August 20, 1993, when pediatric neurologist Arnold P. Gold, M.D., established the first ceremony at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Created to emphasize the human side of medicine at the start of a physician’s training, the tradition quickly spread across the country. The Larner College of Medicine began hosting its White Coat Ceremony in 1994.
Today, nearly every Association of American Medical Colleges–accredited medical school participates in the ceremony, welcoming incoming students into the profession and underscoring the values that will guide their careers.
“The white coat is a symbol of service, a commitment to science, and a promise to care for each individual patient and society’s health. With enduring ethics and professionalism in the patient-physician relationship, the white coat further symbolizes our collective calling to meet society’s changing health needs with integrity, justice, compassion, and courage,” said Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., president of the American College of Physicians and associate dean for public health and health policy and professor of medicine at Larner.
At the Larner College of Medicine, students also recite “The Oath,” adapted from the Oath of Lasagna of 1964, to affirm their commitment to ethical practice, compassion, professionalism, and service. Together, the oath and the white coat mark a student’s formal entrance into the medical profession, emphasizing that the responsibilities of becoming a physician are as important as the knowledge and skills they will acquire.
For first-year medical student Nader Allam, the ceremony represents the beginning of that responsibility.
“To me, receiving a white coat marks the beginning of a responsibility, rather than the completion of a journey,” Allam said. “It reminds me of the patients who have trusted me in smaller roles, the people I hope to serve as a physician, and the family, mentors, friends, and my partner who have supported me along the way. I hope to honor all their efforts in this lifelong path. I’m grateful to take this step with my classmates.”
The white coat itself has a longer history. Before the late 19th century, physicians wore dark clothing, typically black, reflecting medicine’s status as a solemn profession at a time when many treatments were ineffective and scientific understanding of disease was limited.
That changed as discoveries in germ theory, antiseptic surgery, epidemiology, and laboratory science transformed health care. As medicine became increasingly rooted in science, physicians adopted the white coats already worn by laboratory researchers. The garment came to symbolize cleanliness, scientific rigor, and a growing commitment to evidence-based care.
By the end of the 19th century, the white coat had become both practical and symbolic. Its bright color visibly signaled cleanliness at a time when infection control was becoming a central concern in hospitals, while also distinguishing scientifically trained physicians from unproven healers and patent medicine vendors.
More than a century later, the white coat remains a powerful symbol of the profession. Research cited in the AMA Journal of Ethics has found that the image of a physician in a white coat is one of the public’s most recognizable symbols of medicine, surpassing even the doctor’s bag and stethoscope.
The white coat is not without debate. Some physicians choose not to wear one because it can create anxiety, known as “white coat syndrome,” for certain patients, while others prefer scrubs or different professional attire. Yet despite changing fashions and clinical practices, the values associated with the white coat have endured.
“To me, the white coat is a symbol not of authority, but of responsibility. It represents our commitment to care for patients, pursue knowledge, and pass that knowledge on to the next generation,” said Kalev Freeman, M.D., Ph.D., emergency medicine physician and associate professor at Larner.
For patients, it continues to represent trust, expertise, and healing. For medical students, it serves as a reminder that medicine requires not only scientific knowledge but also empathy, integrity, and service.
When Larner students don their white coats and recite their oath this week, they will be participating in a tradition that bridges medicine’s scientific foundations and its deepest human values, marking the beginning of a lifelong commitment to caring for patients and improving health.
Rohit Singh, M.D., Larner assistant professor of medicine, medical oncologist, and UVM Cancer Center member, reflected on the white coat experience: “The white coat means something different to me now than it did when I was a medical student. Back then, it represented becoming a physician. Now, it reminds me of the responsibility that comes with being one. Patients trust us during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and I see the white coat as a reminder to be worthy of that trust. Be humble, honest, and help patients make decisions that reflect what matters most to them,” he said.
The Larner College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony will be livestreamed beginning at 1:00 p.m. on October 9.