White Coat Ceremony
THE FIRST STEPS TO YOUR MD: THE WHITE COAT CEREMONY
The white coat ceremony is a special event that welcomes incoming medical students into the study of medicine and emphasizes the importance of compassionate care, scientific aptitude and ethical behavior, both in medical school and in your chosen profession. This ceremony is an important rite-of-passage that marks the transformation of a new cohort of RUSM students entering as doctors-in-training.
FALL 2021 White Coat Ceremony | September 10TH, 2021 @ 3:30 PM AST
BROADCASTED on: the RUSM Facebook and YouTube pages.
The virtual white coat ceremony will include:
- Welcome to RUSM by Rhonda McIntyre, MBBS, FAAP, FRCP (C), Associate Dean, Medical Sciences
- Presentation on the Meaning of the White Coat by Kashif A. Ahmad, MBBS, MSc, MS(MEdL), PhD, Associate Dean, Academic Learning Environment
- Keynote Address by RUSM Alumnus Nikhil K. Bhayani, MD ‘03, FIDSA, Texas Health Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Physician Advisor
- Recitation of the Modified Oath of Geneva
Fall 2021 White Coat Ceremony FAQs
The RUSM Fall 2021 White Coat Ceremony will be a hybrid in-person/virtual event and will take place on Friday, September 10 at 3:30 p.m. AST. The in-person event will be for students only and will take place on the RUSM Barbados Campus. The event will be livestreamed on the RUSM Facebook and YouTube pages.
We hope to welcome your class and celebrate this year’s White Coat Ceremony in person, utilizing CDC-recommended safety protocols. However, we are closely monitoring COVID-19 prevalence and protocols in Barbados and we will be ready to adapt if needed.
If you are still in quarantine on September 10, please contact the RUSM Events team at events@rossu.edu to discuss options for you to be recognized virtually.
RUSM has taken a careful approach to planning for our in-person White Coat Ceremony. In alignment with CDC and WHO guidelines and local government protocols, all participants will be required to wear a face mask for the duration of the event and will be seated socially distanced. Prior to entering campus, all students will be required to complete a health assessment via the RUSM Safe App and asked to sanitize their hands.
Barbados COVID-19 protection measures limit in-person gatherings to 100 people at any given time. Due to the limited space on the RUSM Campus, we are not able to accommodate guests in-person, but we have planned an interactive livestream event on Facebook and YouTube that your family and friends can watch in real time (or later as an archived video).
The in-person White Coat Ceremony will take place on the RUSM Barbados Campus in four separate classrooms with no more than 100 attendees per classroom. Students will be seated with their peer group leaders and notified of their assigned classroom and specific ceremony instructions via email on Thursday, September 9.
Yes, your family and friends will be able to hear your name called by your peer group leader and watch you be recognized individually during the livestream.
To practice social distancing during the ceremony, students will don their own white coats when prompted during the program. Our faculty will be present to honor this symbolic moment.
Please bring your White Coat, facemask, and your student ID card.
We recommend students wear business professional attire for the White Coat Ceremony. Suit jackets are not required or recommended. All students will also be required to wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth for the duration of the event.
White Coats will be distributed during New Student Orientation by the Student Affairs team. You will be able to view the different White Coat sizes and types and select the best fit.
Please see the size chart below:
| Type | Measurement | Small | Medium | Large | Extra Large | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's | Chest Size | 36"-38" | 40"-42" | 44"-46" | 48"-50" | 52"-54" |
| Women's | Size | 6-8 | 10-12 | 14-16 | 18-20 | 22-24 |
| Bust | 33 ½"-35" | 35 ½"-37 ½" | 38"-40 ½" | 41 ½"-44 ½" | 45 ½"-48 ½" | |
| Waist | 25 ½" - 27" | 27 ½"-29 ½" | 30"-32 ½" | 33"-36 ½" | 37"-40 ½" | |
| Hip | 35"-36 ½" | 37"-39" | 39 ½"-42" | 42 ½"-46" | 46 ½"-50" |
An online PDF of the White Coat program will be emailed to all registrants on Thursday, September 9. You will be able to share the link to the program with your family and friends. Physical copies of the White Coat Ceremony program will be made available for each student during the in-person event.
If you missed the deadline to register for the White Coat Ceremony, you will still be able to participate and be recognized at the event. Please email events@rossu.edu and provide the phonetic spelling of your name and how you would like it announced at the ceremony.
Yes, you may embroider your name on your White Coat. Click here to access guidelines.
Click here to view a copy of the Modified Oath of Geneva.
VIRTUAL VIDEO TOUR
Explore videos and photos of RUSM's curriculum, technology, student support and Barbados housing.
HOUSING
Choose your own living experience, on or offsite after your first semester.
BARBADOS
From white sand beaches to colonial-style buildings, Bridgetown, Barbados is full of natural and man-made attractions.
CAMPUS SERVICES
RUSM provides students, faculty and staff with a range of services: health clinic, family services, dining and club fitness.