Touro Nevada students in their white coats.

Nearly 400 New Students Receive Their White Coats During Annual Ceremony

Oct 31, 2022

Nearly 400 new students were presented with their white coats during the annual White Coat ceremony, a rite-of-passage for Touro’s students that symbolizes their entry into the healthcare professions.

Two separate ceremonies were held inside Green Valley Ranch as new students from the College of Health and Human Services and the Class of 2026 from the College of Osteopathic Medicine were coated by their faculty members in front of their friends and family.

“The White Coat ceremony represents a uniquely symbolic moment in the professional education of a medical student towards becoming a physician,” said Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Putting on the white coat embodies the craft that each student will earn and the message it sends to the public is that the student is on their way towards becoming a physician for the greater good of the community. The sooner a medical student identifies with the role of becoming a physician, the richer the educational experience will be.”

Nick Stone, a second-year student in the School of Physical Therapy, discussed the symbolic nature of the white coat, and how it brings comfort to the students’ future patients.

“The white coat represents all the hard work, perseverance, and dedication we have exhibited throughout our lives,” he said. “The white coat also serves as a beacon of hope to every patient who walks through your door.”

Lauren Rose Bali, a first-year student in the School of Occupational Therapy, said her white coat symbolizes her absolute commitment to healthcare and the relief amongst the generational and cultural barriers she’s walked through to get to this moment.

“A white coat and doctorate degree is what I’ve dreamed of for an incredibly long time and to put it on with my loved ones supporting me here and around the country meant the absolute most,” she said. “It holds a lot of value sentimentally, but is a promise to myself as well. The promise to pursue a profession that is focused on healing is one that I am ready more than ever to take on.”