On March 14, Medicine Day, they experienced the excitement of white coats...
First-year medical students at Üsküdar University experienced the joy of wearing white coats on March 14th, Medicine Day. The students, who took their first step into the medical profession with their white coats, shared this happiness with their families. In the ceremony, the Founder Rector of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, explained the responsibilities of the white coat to the future doctors.
The traditional white coat ceremony took place at the Ibn Sina Auditorium on the NP Health Campus of Üsküdar University.
The ceremony was attended by the Founder Rector of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak, Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Haydar Sur, along with faculty academics, students, and their families.
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “White is not just a fabric, it is an honor”
The Founder Rector of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, delivered the opening speech at the white coat ceremony. Tarhan spoke about the responsibilities that come with wearing the white coat and gave advice to the future doctors: "The white coat ceremony symbolizes the beginning of our young colleagues’ medical careers. At the same time, this white coat symbolizes responsibility, purity, and cleanliness. One important thing I would like to say to my friends starting in the profession is curiosity. Never lose your curiosity and excitement. If there is curiosity and excitement in the profession, the best and fastest learning happens. If you do not realize how time passes in the classroom or in front of a patient, it means you’ve captured that feeling of flow. The medical profession requires endurance training. It’s a profession that requires patience and resilience. Unlike other professions, there are two types of patience. The first is the ability to endure negative things. The second is the ability to abstain from pleasures and joys. This is also a type of patience. The white coat is not just a fabric, it is also an honor."
Prof. Hikmet Koçak: “Medicine is a profession based on love for humanity”
In his speech, Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak said: "If you want to learn and write your personal history, you must first know the history of medicine well. Being a doctor is a profession based on love for humanity. If you don’t love people, you can’t do it, you won’t enjoy it. If you don’t love the patient, you can be a good scientist, but you cannot be a good doctor. The coat you will wear today is already a sign of this. By wearing this coat, you say, ‘I am someone who gives confidence to the patient in front of me. I am honest, truthful, and transparency and purity are essential to my profession.’ The coat you will wear today will also change your perspective on life."
Prof. Haydar Sur: “March 14th is not just a simple profession day”
Pointing out the origins of March 14th, Medicine Day, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Haydar Sur said: “The development of the medical profession into its present form has, of course, been very painful, as it is a matter of life and death and is related to human health and mortality. Many lives have been sacrificed for medical science to reach its current knowledge, and many scientists have dedicated themselves to this field. They collected this knowledge, offered it to science, and presented it to humanity. We have also learned, and we are trying to continue learning, and as a duty, we take it upon ourselves to carry this sacred trust, given to us by those who came before us, to future generations, by contributing whatever we can. Therefore, we are doing this work with excitement and pride, but also with a sense of duty to history and humanity. We love our students, who are devoted to this profession and, at a young age, are ready to sacrifice themselves after recognizing the challenges with this awareness.”
Edanur Turan: “We can even see that we touch people’s hearts while being intern doctors”
Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine intern student Edanur Turan spoke about how medicine can touch people’s hearts. Turan said: “When we give the news that we saved a life, who knows how many hearts we touch. What do we make people feel? When a patient is healed with the prescription we gave, when their pain is relieved, what do they think about us? How do we touch their hearts? What do we make them feel? I mean, we can even see that we touch people’s hearts while being intern doctors. It is certain that medicine can touch people’s hearts.”
Emre Aydın: “Our families have been our biggest supporters in getting here”
Emre Aydın, the representative of the first-year Turkish-speaking medical students, gave a speech during the ceremony. Aydın said: “March 14th is not just a date for us; it’s a beginning, an expression of great responsibility and excitement. We see wearing our white coats not only as part of a tradition, but also as a symbol of great responsibility, sacrifice, and the awareness of serving humanity. Of course, our biggest supporters in getting here have been our families. If it weren’t for their love and prayers, it would have been much harder for us to experience this excitement today. We know that just as they have been with us until now, they will continue to give us strength in every difficulty we face.”
Hasan Alagöz: “We promise to progress on the path of becoming physicians adherent to ethical values”
Hasan Alagöz, the representative of the first-year English-speaking medical students, expressed his happiness. Alagöz said: “Medicine is not just a profession; it is a sacred duty that carries the responsibility of protecting human health and improving lives. By wearing our white coats today, we accept this responsibility and promise to progress on the path of becoming physicians committed to ethical values, under the light of medical science. This coat must be carried not only with academic knowledge but also with conscience, patience, and dedication. I believe that with the guidance of our esteemed professors who have prepared us for this profession and the support of the pioneers of the profession, we will continue to advance our scientific curiosity and determination every day.”
For the future doctors, this unforgettable program continued with the white coat ceremony after the opening speeches.
A meaningful gesture from a doctor father to his daughter…
Among the medical students experiencing the excitement of wearing white coats was Meryem Rana Küçük, the daughter of Associate Prof. Mehmet Fatih Küçük.
Küçük, who dressed his daughter in her white coat, symbolically placed the stethoscope, the emblem of the profession, around her neck, completing this journey.
The ceremony concluded with a group photo.
Üsküdar News Agenct (ÜNA)