White Coat Ceremony 2022

To address the issue of medical ethics and praise students for their success in completing the basic science portion of their studies, the White Coat Ceremony for Physiotherapy students was held at UTAR Sungai Long Campus on 23 March 2022.

Present at the ceremony were Head of Physiotherapy Department of Sungai Long Specialist Hospital Nelson Chia Koon Kit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Deputy Dean Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi Pooi, FMHS Head of Physiotherapy Department Muhammad Noh Zulfikri bin Mohd Jamali, FMHS Head of Clinical Physiotherapy Programme Premala Krishnan, Organising Chairperson Tarun Amalnerkar, FMHS lecturers, clinical instructors and medical students.

The ceremony began on a high note with the singing of the National Anthem “Negaraku”. It was followed by the presentation of the UTAR Hospital video.

Dr Leong was then invited to the stage to give an opening speech for the inauguration ceremony. She said, “The White Coat Ceremony originated back in 1989 and since then it has become a tradition to commemorate the health science medical students,” she said and added, “The students have completed their pre-clinical studies and now they will move on to the clinical practice. So, the White Coat Ceremony aims to welcome Physiotherapy students to participate in their clinical practice which will take place in the coming semester.”

“Today you will put on your white coat. This will symbolise that you have taken the responsibility to do your best to care for the patients during your clinical practice. So remember this day as it marks an important day in your life. It is a major step towards the clinical world,” said Dr Leong.

Subsequently, Nelson Chia, Dr Leong, Muhammad Noh Zulfikri and Premala were invited to the stage to officiate the ceremony. The emcees, Chok Kenneth and Saw Bee Shin, introduced the chief guest and shared his educational background and experiences before inviting him over to give an inspiring speech.

Nelson Chia said in his speech, “It is great to see the students having their White Coat Ceremony. To all of you who will be wearing the white coat today, take note that a lot of responsibility comes in wearing the white coat.”

He added, “Do enjoy your posting experience. It is a great time to learn, speak, think and have fun. Also, take care of yourself during your posting period. I would also like to advise you to enjoy your time being a student because this is a great time where you gain experience as you move forward towards your working life.”

After the speeches, the students were invited to the stage to receive their white coats. The white coats for the first batch were delivered by Nelson Chia and Muhammad Noh Zulfikri. The students from the second and third batches received their white coats from Dr Leong and Premala.

Following that, Student Class Representative Tay Kai Wei was invited to lead the recital of the Oath of Commitment. The Oath served as a pledge of their acceptance to all the duties and responsibilities associated with their profession.

The ceremony also witnessed a beautiful singing performance by Year 1 FMHS students Crystal Chiok Soo Ting, Issac Chong Hao Ze and Lai Jet. They sang a wonderful rendition of “势在必行 (Shi Zai Bi Xing)” by Andrew Chen Shi An and “Keep Holding On” by Avril Lavigne.

Moreover, the event also saw a sharing session by students in which they were asked to share their experiences of studying online.

The ceremony came to an end after a group photograph.