ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine welcomed 73 medical students in the Class of 2023 during an orientation week that culminated with a traditional White Coat Ceremony.
“This ceremony is a rite of passage that holds special meaning for our students,” said Doug Taylor, associate dean and director of admissions and records at Quillen. “It is so much more than receiving a piece of clothing. The real significance of the white coat is what it represents – professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine.”
The Class of 2023 was selected from approximately 2,400 applicants. The class represents more than 30 undergraduate institutions, and all but five new students are Tennessee residents. Two incoming students are children of Quillen alumni, and two have spouses who are currently enrolled at Quillen.
The White Coat ceremony was established in 1993 by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and was the brainchild of Gold, who believed that medical students should be introduced to the white coat and what it represents as they enter medical school, rather than when they exit, which had been the case historically.
