FMHS White Coat Ceremony

The VIPs and MBBS students with their new coats

To celebrate the successful completion of the first year for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Programme (MBBS) students, a white coat ceremony was conducted at Sungai Long Campus on 1 June 2018.

Present at the ceremony were Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Dean Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng, Haematologist Dr Alan Teh Kee Hean, FMHS lecturers, medical students, and their respective families. 

Prof Cheong congratulating the students for completing their first-year study

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Cheong congratulated the students on their hard work and accomplishments. He touched on the history of the origin of the White Coat Ceremony and explained why this tradition is important. “The white coat ceremony originated in the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine in 1989, but the first grand ceremony took place at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1993. The ceremony was based on the tradition established by the Hippocrates and it symbolises the students’ transition into the clinical year,” told Prof Cheong. He urged the students to take time to think about the first step that they are about to take other than placing their white coat. 

Dr Alan Tehsharing hisclinical experience

On the other hand, the distinguished guest Dr Alan Teh gave a brief introduction about his background and shared his personal advice that he gained from his experience when he was a medical student.  “Every step you take is going to matter. As American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘It is not about the destination, but the journey’. You are going to go through clinical years soon, you may be a little bit excited or apprehensive, but this is only one of the many challenges that you will face,” said Dr Alan Teh. He then advised students to respect their white coat and told them, “Your white coat will not infill any superpower or transfer you instantly into a doctor, but it will serve a very practical purpose.” Dr Alan Teh is a Consultant Haematologist at Subang Jaya Medical Centre. He was also a former academic staff at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). He performed the first bone marrow transplant for an adult in Malaysia in UMMC way back in 1993. He is currently the President of the Malaysian Society of Haematology.

In addition, the “Professor M P Deva and Professor Dr Jenny P Deva Best Performance for MBBS Final Professional Examination” and the “Professor M P Deva and Professor Dr Jenny P Deva Best MBBS Graduate Awards” were presented at the ceremony. The recipient for both awards was Yong Jia En Amelia. 

The students in their white coats along with the professors

The highlight of the event was the distribution of white coat, where the students formally donned white coats for the first time with the help of the professors in front of their family and friends. The professors who distributed the white coats to the students were Prof Cheong, Prof Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat, Prof Dr Jenny Parameshvara Deva, Prof Dr M Parameshvara Deva Muttu Ramalingam, Prof Dr Lam Sau Kuen, Dr Swaminathan S Manickam, Dr Thaw Zin, and Prof Dr Wong Swee Lan. 

The students taking the oath

After being coated, the students stood to recite the oath to acknowledge their acceptance of the obligations of their profession. It was led by the student representative Bernard Sii Tuong Yun. Second-year MBBS student representative Hou Rui Jia was also given a chance to present a short speech on behalf of all the students to thank their teacher, friends and family.  

The event then ended on a high note with a group photo session, followed by the presentation of a short video from second-year MBBS students.