White Coat symbolic of professionalism and humanitarianism

On Aug. 27, 74 physician assistant students from the Barry University Physician Assistant Program Class of 2012 took part in a live simultaneous White Coat Ceremony, held concurrently on the Barry University Miami Shores campus and at the University Partnership Center at St. Petersburg College. The ceremony, conducted by videoconferencing, recognized 50 PA students from Miami Shores and 24 PA students from St. Petersburg who were greeted by PA professors and directors.

Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, new dean for the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine and Physician Assistant Program, welcomed the PA Class of 2012, as well as more than 200 parents, spouses, children and friends in attendance. Dr. Jensen indicated that "the White Coat Ceremony signifies a special day in your career in medicine and that this is the best time in history to be a PA. PAs are playing a significant role in the primary health care of millions of Americans today and will be directly involved with policy decisions on health care in the future.”

Dr. Doreen Parkhurst, associate dean and program director of the Barry PA Program, provided a video greeting the eager students and encouraging them saying, “Wear your coats with dignity and humility knowing that your development as a caring, compassionate health care provider will make this world a better place to live.”

Professor Terry Helopoulos, Director of Operations, Expansion at St. Petersburg College, offered some welcoming remarks for the west coast campus.

Dr. Samuel Cleveland, medical director of the Barry PA Program, delivered an inspiring keynote address to the new PA students. He congratulated them for their perseverance and undergraduate academic achievement that enabled them to study to become a PA at Barry University. He described how the White Coat Ceremony developed from modest beginnings in 1989 at the University of Chicago Prisker School of Medicine and now is utilized by many professional health care fields to symbolize the induction of the student into their chosen health care career.

According to Dr. Cleveland, “the White Coat today has many meanings, but it is traditionally symbolic of professionalism and humanitarianism of which both confer the privilege of rendering patient care. All of you, over the next 28 months, will develop a sense of humble confidence as you complete 12 months of rigorous didactic courses, another year of challenging clinical rotations in 8 different specialties, winding up with four months of an advanced didactic clinical therapeutic program, before the one week Board review preparatory course that assists you with successfully completing the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam...Then the White Coat will represent graduation and the beginning of your professional career.”

The Barry PA Program has made impressive strides since its inception in the fall of 1997. In fall 2005, the PA Program began admitting students on the west coast of Florida in partnership with the University Partnership Center at St. Petersburg College via interactive video conferencing on the Internet. In December 2007, the program celebrated the first graduation of one class seated in two locations. In 2009, the PA Program underwent a very stringent re-accreditation survey and was awarded a seven year re-accreditation. The Barry PA Program has now graduated over 400 PAs.

During the presentation ceremony, Ms. Eboni Evans of the Miami Shores campus read the names of the students being recognized as they crossed the stage to be congratulated by the faculty. Closing the ceremonious evening was Dr. Carmen Queral, director of clinical site development who led the students in reciting of the Oath of Hippocrates.