The first students of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Dentistry donned their white coats. A white coat ceremony was held for 1st-year students. During the ceremony, which was also attended by families, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan addressed the students, saying; “A white coat means responsibility. Before asking 'How to be a good doctor and a good psychologist?', being a good human is the primary condition.”
Academicians from other faculties, as well as the Faculty of Dentistry, attended the ceremony held at Üsküdar Üniversitesi NP Dental and Health Campus, Ibn-i Sina Auditorium. Emotional moments were experienced from time to time during the program, which attracted great interest from families.
Selin Güvenç: “We thank our professors who are like guiding lights to us”
The ceremony, broadcast live on ÜÜ TV and YouTube, began with the opening speeches of Selin Güvenç and Furkan Efe Kaya, first-year students of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Dentistry. Güvenç said; “Teachers are like lanterns. They consume themselves to give light to others. We thank our professors who have been like guiding lights to us from day one. I greet all my professors with respect and love.”
Furkan Efe Kaya: “We are working to repay your efforts”
Furkan Efe Kaya, a first-year student at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Dentistry, also stated; “Dear professors, there were times when you dedicated your own time to us. We will follow this path throughout our professional lives and will not forget these sacrifices. Have no doubt that we are working diligently to repay your efforts.”
Prof. Dr. Yumuşhan Günay: “Our students will nourish their happiness by achieving the difficult and embracing the beautiful”
Following this, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Dentistry Dean Prof. Dr. Yumuşhan Günay took the podium for his opening speech. Drawing attention to the significance of the white coat, which students wore for the first time at the ceremony, Günay stated; “You will touch people's lives. This home will prepare you for this embrace. It will prepare you as a visionary physician who has a stance in medicine, understands better, feels better. Of course, this will require arduous work, and this difficulty will not only stem from our professional training; we will also dedicate ourselves to understanding the era, understanding life, and understanding people. Because the meaning of medicine includes making correct decisions and having a correct stance, as well as doing the right things. 'Teach ethics to people before teaching them medicine.' In an era where health, like all these values, is reduced to a commodity and turned into a market tool, this ethical sensitivity will be a light illuminating the path to our students' happiness. Our students will nourish their happiness by achieving the difficult and embracing the beautiful. If we want to be happy, we have no other choice; we must have such an ethical stance. This sensitivity will protect our hearts, because happiness only finds a home in protected hearts.”
Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak: “The day you wear the coat is the day you embark on the medical profession”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak also spoke at the program, making evaluations regarding the importance and meaning of the white coat; “Dear students, you know the meaning of the white coat you will wear today. Since ancient times, it has become a traditional symbol for physicians, representing purity, cleanliness, and clarity. It is a garment that instills trust in the other party, shares their secrets, and requires honesty. We see it as an academic garment; it may get dirty sometimes, but this is only the coat getting dirty. You will never tarnish your profession; tarnishing the profession means treating incorrectly and doing wrong. As a first thought, if you are not harming the patient, it means you are practicing your profession. At this point, the day you wear the white coat is the day you embark on the medical profession.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “If you cannot establish a trust relationship, you cannot be a good physician”
Finally, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan took the podium for his opening speech, highlighting the responsibility associated with the white coat.
Tarhan said; “You gained admission to the department through hard work, and then there's immense effort and fatigue during your studies. While you work, your family and everyone supports you. The first step and fruit of this is your gathering today. What is often said here is: 'May my child be intelligent, diligent, or may I be intelligent, diligent; this is important.' This is important in all professions, but as I said earlier, these two are not enough in medicine – being intelligent and diligent. A third thing is needed: being a good human. Because you need to establish a trust relationship with the person who comes to you seeking help. If you cannot establish a trust relationship, you cannot be a good physician. Therefore, this applies to all branches of medicine in the patient-physician relationship. Those who can establish a trust relationship make treatment more lasting. They facilitate better treatment collaboration and achieve better results. This is important in this regard. What are the measures of being a good human in medicine, for example? First, it is necessary to combine personal humility with professional assertiveness. Professionally, in the patient-physician relationship, the physician will be the leader. The patient will not direct you; you will direct the patient. You will be the leader.”
The music recital received a standing ovation…
During the white coat ceremony, a musical recital by 1st-year Faculty of Dentistry students Zeynep Ayaz on guitar, Betül İclal Karaaslan on ney, and Rana Söyler on flute was met with a standing ovation from attendees.
The academic staff, including Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Tarhan Foundation Board Member Fırat Tarhan, and Faculty of Dentistry Dean Prof. Dr. Yumuşhan Günay, helped the students don their white coats.
Students were also gifted the book ‘Bilinçli Genç Olmak’ (Being a Conscious Youth) penned by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan.
The White Coat Ceremony concluded with a group commemorative photo session and a visit to the exhibition organized by the Faculty of Dentistry students.
