[August 2, 2021 – Parker, CO] Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) welcomed its fourteenth class of medical students to the program. The White Coat Ceremony, held at the University’s Colorado campus on Friday, July 16th was the final event for the student medical school orientation.
The White Coat Ceremony is a traditional way to welcome new students to their medical careers. The keynote speaker was Michael Tieman, MD, FACS, who recently retired from RVU as Chair of the Department of Specialty Medicine. During his keynote address, Dr. Tieman emphasized the importance of learning how to learn and combining this skill with a commitment to becoming an excellent physician, starting now as student doctors. “That’s the intellectual part of being a physician,” he continued, “you must remember that each one of your patients is a human being, and they deserve the dignity, respect, and understanding that you should give to every human being.”
Additional speakers included David Forstein, DO, FACOOG, President and Chief Executive Officer at RVU; Heather Ferrill, DO, MS, MEdL, Dean of RVUCOM; and Joseph Stasio, DO, FACOFP, Chair of the Department of Primary Care Medicine.
Upon being coated (the act of officially receiving their medical school white coats) by physician faculty members, the students recited their Class Oath. In their statement, they pledged to “partner with [patients] to promote health, display integrity and professionalism throughout my career, [and] advance the philosophy, practice and science of osteopathic medicine.”
The Class of 2025 is comprised of 216 students from a variety of backgrounds and locations. The students were selected from an applicant pool of over 3,900 candidates. The class consists of 60% females and 40% males and the age range is 20 to 35 years old. In keeping with RVU’s continued support of military students, 8% of the incoming class are attending on the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program.
Thirty students matriculated after receiving RVU’s Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree, a nine-month graduate program to increase a student’s understanding of the health sciences.
