Kansas City University welcomed 278 incoming medical students during its White Coat Ceremony at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, marking the official start of their medical education. First-year students received symbolic white coats to wear throughout their training and later careers, an early milestone in becoming part of the medical profession.
The event highlighted the responsibility students associate with caring for patients as they begin their path in medicine. One student, Copper Petermeyer, described how the COVID-19 pandemic helped crystallize the need for more health care workers and physicians in the community.
KMBC 9 reports that the ceremony served as a formal welcome into the profession and a reminder of the impact future physicians aim to have on patient care.