Physician Assistant Program Holds White Coat Ceremony

Students enrolled in the University of La Verne’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Practice program marked their coming transition from classroom to clinical education in a White Coat ceremony held December 11 in the Ann and Steve Morgan Auditorium on campus.

The group of 27 students completed their 15 months of classroom education in the PA program this month and will transition in January into clinical rotations for their final year of training. To celebrate this milestone, students received their white coats during the ceremony, which is a rite of passage within the medical field.

The traditional ceremony welcomes students to the practice of health care and emphasizes compassion in combination with scientific excellence as they continue to advance as healthcare professionals. The most important element of the ceremony is the oath that students take acknowledging the central obligation of caring for patients.

In the final year of the program, students will complete nine clinical rotations in different medical specialties. This is the third cohort of students in the University of La Verne’s PA program.

See also for coverage of the program’s second commencement ceremony here.

Photos by Jeanine Hill