White Coat Ceremony

September 15, 2007 - Saturday the WVU Dental School Class of 2009 received their White Coats, in an afternoon ceremony.

This is a rite of passage - for all professional schools. Medical / Pharmacy/ Dental.

This year Mr. WH Blenko CEO of Blenko Glass Milton, WV gifted each member of my class a 2x4 cobalt blue etched in Gold by Touch of Glass. We presented these very quietly after the white coat induction ceremony.

Blenko Glass often works with schools, Universities, wedding parties to provide these paper weights engraved with whatever you desire. The cost per unit varies depending upon the engraving - some Universities sell the paperweights as class fund raisers and offer personalized with individual names for an additional $15. I think the paper weight with basic engraving is about $22 per unit.

My classmates and I were very surprised and pleased by Mr. Blenko's generosity.

I hope the Class of 2010 will consider White Coat Paper Weights as a class project.

Note: Info about WCC :The white coat ceremony (WCC) is a relatively new ritual in some medical schools and pharmacy schools that marks a medical student's transition from the study of preclinical to clinical health sciences. At some schools, where students begin meeting patients early in their education, the white coat ceremony is held before the first year begins. It originated in Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1993[1] and involves a formal "robing" or "cloaking" of students in white coats, the garb physicians have traditionally worn for over 100 years[2] and other health professions have adopted.
WCCs typically address the issue of medical ethics and praise rising 3rd year students for their success in completing the basic science portion of medical school. A reading of the Hippocratic Oath is common, and family and friends are typically invited. Over 100 medical schools in the USA now have a WCC and many students now consider it a rite of passage in the journey toward a medical career.