Inside Duke Medicine
White Coat Ceremony for Duke-NUS second class
posted August 22nd, 2008
The White Coat Ceremony is a remarkable and personal milestone that marks a new medical student’s transition from being a general member of the community into the calling of practitioners of medicine.
Two special guests from Duke University participated in the Aug. 15 White Coat Ceremony at Duke-NUS in Singapore—Nancy Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the Duke School of Medicine and vice chancellor of academic affairs, and Jean Spaulding, M.D., trustee of the Duke Endowment and consultant at Duke Medical Center and Duke University Health System.
Also on hand were some visiting professors and four Duke School of Medicine student leaders, who flew in to offer their support and encouragement as part of an effort to build relationships and strengthen ties between Duke-NUS and Duke in Durham.
Gathering for the first time as an entire class, the 48 new students from 13 countries were nervous at first but acquainted themselves quickly over breakfast. They were welcomed by Dean Ranga Krishnan, M.D., Vice Dean for Education Bob Kamei, M.D., and other professors. Then the students introduced themselves one by one.
In the following three weeks, the students participated in an intense Foundations Course that armed them with basic skills to undertake the challenges ahead. The course included a retreat led by Duke Corporate Education that focused on working in teams, a leadership academy developed by Spaulding, the beginning of the practice course, an introduction to the unique TeamGMS method of learning, and a session held by the senior students on adapting to life in Duke-NUS.
“Having been used to a more conventional mode of learning, TeamGMS was a real eye opener for me,” said Singaporean student Daniel He. “It quickly became apparent that the interactive dynamics of a team sharing information, supporting each other and working towards a common goal made the monumental workload seem surmountable.”