I entitled my talk "The Gift" because the white coat you are about to receive is an unbelievable gift—
I say that for many reasons. When you wear this coat, it is as if you have immediate and unquestioned entry into a person's life. When you wear this coat, patients will unabashedly tell you every private detail in their lives, they will even undress themselves in front of you, a complete stranger. But most importantly, they will entrust in your hands—the lives and welfare of their loved ones.

This white coat will teach you humility. I remember when we were learning to draw blood for the first time. All the students had to pair up with a fellow student and draw blood on each other. I had a classmate who was this big tough college football star. Most people were nervous about drawing blood and having some novice practice on them. This student had already determined that he was going to become a surgeon so this would be an easy task. Well, we were all trying to get that wiggly vein, and our hands were shaking when all of a sudden we heard this big THUG. I looked over and saw this big guy, passed out on the floor looking very pale.

The white coat will also teach you to appreciate your own health and life—that we often take for granted. I will always remember my first cataract surgery. I operated on an 84 year old Russian grandmother. She had not been to a doctor in many decades and so her cataracts had become very dense. On the first day after surgery, I removed her eye bandage, and she could see again the first time in years. She started crying, I started crying—it was the most unbelievable feeling to

Bonnie An Henderson,
MD, DC '89/DMS '93
Assistant Clinical Professor
Harvard Medical School

know that I actually could really affect a person's daily life in such a dramatic way.

I will also never forget the images of death that you see because of this white coat. Most people's lives are touch by death only several times when a family member or friend passes away. We, the wearers of this white coat, will experience it hundreds, maybe thousands of times.

Wearing the white coat is similar to a superhero wearing their costume. Just as a superhero is told when he receives this cape, when you receive your white coat, remember that it has great power but it is comes also with great responsibility. Don't ever forget that you have the ability to do wonderful life altering good but you also have the ability to do devastating harm if this responsibility is taken flippantly. You will be tired, overextended, sleep deprived. You will always know less than you think and will have to continue learning

your whole career. Medicine is a field where you can never rest and rely on the information that you learned a long time ago. Even if it is at Dartmouth, which we all know is the BEST medical school in the world. Medicine changes constantly and you must continue to pursue excellence.

Also unique to this white coat is that you don't wear it alone. Your share the similar challenges with your colleagues everywhere around the world. The white coat does not have any ethnic or religious or cultural boundaries. Wearing it instantly enters you into a brotherhood of humanity.

Not only do share this white coat with your colleagues, you also share with your family. Your life as a physician affects everyone around you for better or for worse. You job is not the usual job where you can easily leave it at the office and shut off the computer. Your white coat, even when it is hanging on the coat rack is always on you no matter where you are or what you are doing. Because of this, remember that your spouse and family also sacrifice something of themselves to have you wear your white coat. So I want to thank my family, my three children—Tiger, Skye and Sienna, my parents for immigrating to the US and working three jobs to put me through this great school, and parents in law Bob and Carol for years of emotional support and fabulous dinners that a poor medical student could never afford, but mostly my incredible and loving husband, Hendo, for 20 years sticking me with through all the wonderful and difficult times.

Wear the coat with pride—this is the best profession in the world!