The White Coat Ceremony: a tribute to the humanism of Arnold P. Gold.

摘要

In 1988, the iconic child neurologist Arnold P. Gold, MD (Professor of Clinical Neurology and Clinical Pediatrics in the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons), along with his wife Sandra O. Gold, EdD, established The Arnold P. Gold Foundation to address the urgent need to nurture and preserve the tradition of the humanistic caring physician. One of the signature programs of the Gold Foundation has been the White Coat Ceremony (first begun in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons), which has traditionally involved the donning of white coats and the recitation of a Hippocratic-style oath. The oath publically acknowledges and, thus, establishes a psychological contract for the study and practice of medicine that emphasizes the importance of compassionate patient care along with scientific proficiency. Currently, more than 90% of all medical schools in the United States and 4 medical schools in Israel have adopted the White Coat Ceremony, which generally includes remarks to new students inspired by the Gold Foundation mission to enhance humanism in medicine. Excerpted remarks prepared for the Creighton University School of Medicine annual White Coat Ceremony follow