Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Medicine 1st-year students experienced the enthusiasm of wearing their white coats on March 14th Medicine Day. The students, taking their first step into medicine with their white coats, shared this joy with their families. Speaking at the ceremony, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, explained the responsibilities of the white coat to the future physicians.
The traditional white coat ceremony took place at Üsküdar Üniversitesi NP Sağlık Campus, İbni Sina Auditorium.
The ceremony was attended by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur, as well as faculty academics, students, and their families.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “White is not just a fabric, but also an honor”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, delivered the opening speech at the white coat ceremony. Tarhan, who provided advice on the responsibilities brought by the white coat and to the future physicians, said: “The white coat ceremony symbolizes our youth’s entry into the profession. At the same time, this white coat also symbolizes responsibility, purity, and cleanliness. One of the important things I will tell my friends who are new to the profession here is curiosity. They should never lose their curiosity and excitement. If there is curiosity and excitement in the profession, the best and fastest learning occurs. If you don't realize how time flies during lectures or when facing a patient, it means you have caught that flow feeling. The medical profession requires resilience training. It is a profession that requires patience and fortitude. Unlike other professions, there are two types of patience. The first is to endure negative things. The second is to be able to forgo pleasures and enjoyments. This is also a type of patience. The white coat is not just a fabric, but also an honor.”
Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak: “Medicine is a profession based on human love”
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak said: “If you want to learn and write your personal history, you must know medical history well. Doctoring, medicine, is a profession based on human love. If you do not love people, you cannot do it, you cannot enjoy it. If you do not love your patient, you can be a good scientist, but you cannot be a good physician. The coat you will wear today is already a sign of this. By wearing the coat, you are saying, ‘I am a person who inspires trust in my patient. I am honest, truthful, and transparency and purity are requirements of my profession.’ The coat you will wear today will also change your outlook on life.”
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur: “March 14th is not a simple professional holiday”
Drawing attention to the origins of March 14th Medicine Day, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said: “The medical profession’s evolution into its current form has, of course, been very painful, as it involves matters of life and death, human health, and mortality. Many lives have been sacrificed and many scientists have dedicated themselves to this field for medical science to reach its current knowledge. They gathered this information, gifted it to science, and presented it to humanity. We, too, have learned, are trying to learn, and as our duty, for the sake of those who entrusted us with that sacred trust, we undertake the task of carrying these forward by contributing our best to future generations. Therefore, we do this work with excitement, pride, but also with the peace of those who have fulfilled their duty to history and humanity. We love our students who are dedicated to this profession, who, at a young age, are aware of the difficulties and are ready to sacrifice themselves.”
Edanur Turan: “We can see that we touch people’s hearts even as intern doctors”
Edanur Turan, an intern student at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Medicine, stated that medicine can touch people’s hearts. Turan said: “When we give people the good news that we have saved a life, who knows how many hearts we touch. What do we make people feel? When a patient finds healing with the prescription we gave, or when their pain subsides, what do they think about us? How do we touch their hearts, what do we make them feel? We can see that we touch people's hearts even as intern doctors. It is certain that medicine can touch people’s hearts.”
Emre Aydın: “Our biggest supporters in coming here were our families”
Emre Aydın, the 1st-year Turkish class student representative of the Faculty of Medicine, delivered his speech within the scope of the ceremony. Aydın said: “March 14th is not just a date; for us, it is a beginning, an expression of great responsibility and excitement. We see wearing our white coats not just as being part of a tradition, but also as a symbol of great responsibility, sacrifice, and the consciousness of serving humanity. Of course, our biggest supporters in coming here were our families. Without their love and prayers, it would have been much more difficult for us to experience this excitement today. We know that just as they have been by our side until today, they will continue to empower us in every difficulty we face.”
Hasan Alagöz: “We promise to advance on the path of becoming physicians committed to ethical values”
Hasan Alagöz, the 1st-year English class student representative of the Faculty of Medicine, 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. Today, by wearing our white coats, we accept this responsibility and promise to advance on the path of becoming physicians committed to ethical values in the light of medical science. This coat must be worn not only with academic knowledge but also with conscience, patience, and dedication. With the guidance of our esteemed professors who prepared us for this profession and the support of our professional seniors, I believe that we will advance our scientific curiosity and eagerness to learn every day.”
This unforgettable program for future physicians continued with the white coat ceremony following the opening speeches.
A meaningful gesture from a doctor father to his daughter…
Among the medical students experiencing the excitement of wearing their white coats was Meryem Rana Küçük, the daughter of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Fatih Küçük.
Küçük, who helped his daughter put on her white coat, crowned this journey by placing the stethoscope, the symbol of the profession, around his daughter’s neck.
The ceremony concluded after a group photo session.
