For medical students, the White Coat ceremony, held early in their first year, and Match Day, held near the end of their fourth year, are among the most anticipated and meaningful events they will experience during their medical school years.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, April 21, 2018, the Geisel School of Medicine\u2019s Class of 2020 reached another important milestone in their journey to becoming physicians when they joined faculty, family, and friends at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center\u2019s Auditoria A-D for Geisel\u2019s Transition Ceremony.<\/p>\n
The annual ceremony, held at the end of the second year, is a Geisel tradition which serves to commemorate medical students\u2019 transition from the preclinical to the clinical years of medical school.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s event included dinner, a student slideshow (which captured memories from their first two years), and faculty and student speakers who shared stories from their own experiences\u2014offering advice, support and some well-timed humor to help ease the anxiety many of the rising third-year\u2019s may be feeling as they look forward to their first clerkship rotations.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransitions are really important moments in our lives, and right now, I hope you are all taking the time to be present in this moment,\u201d said Roshini Pinto-Powell, MD, associate professor of medicine and associate dean of student affairs and of admissions at Geisel, who served as the event\u2019s master of ceremonies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis coming year will fly by, I can promise you that,\u201d she continued. \u201cI do caution you, though, that while I said it will be fun, I did not say it will be easy. Be kind to yourselves and to each other, be collaborative, and learn from and appreciate what every member of the professional team brings to the table to help us care for our patients. Medicine really is a team sport and you are going to be a very important part of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faculty speaker Lawrence Myers, PhD, associate professor in the departments of Medical Education and Biochemistry and Cell Biology, encouraged the students to carry forward some of the traits he has appreciated most about their class\u2014being thoughtful learners and being activists for positive change\u2014as they move into their clinical years. \u201cI also want to tell you that you will be teachers throughout your careers, no matter what you do,\u201d said Myers, who shared some lessons learned from his father about the importance of teaching outside the classroom. \u201cMeet your learners where they are, appreciate the small things, and never stop looking for opportunities to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n