Future of Medicine: 180 Texas Tech HSC students receive their white coats

After years of hard work, applying to medical schools, interviewing and waiting for letters of acceptance, 180 students walked the stage at the Buddy Holly Hall on Friday afternoon to receive their white coats at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony.

“The sun is always shining here in West Texas, and today is your day, your place, your time,” said Dr. Steven Berk, dean of the School of Medicine. “Your medical career starts now.”

Among the 180 students who were selected out of 5,000 applicants, at least three students’ paths have crossed before.

Heidi Gonzalez, Avery Garcia and Joselin Garcia, all from Denver City, graduated from the same high school and are attending the same school once more.

All three of them chose different paths when attending college, but their passion to serve the community and love for medicine has brought them together again.

All three students agreed that donning their white coat not only represents their oath as doctors, but also the journey they have taken to get to where they are.

“I think it symbolizes all the hard work, all the obstacles we've overcome, and all the time and lessons that we've learned putting into this,” Avery said. “It's like a reflection of all of our mentors, educators, family and friends that have helped us along this journey. But also at the same time, it's like a sense of responsibility. It's your first step into learning how to help people and change their lives for the better.”

Following in the footsteps of the previous class, the students decided that rather than taking the Hippocratic Oath, they would create their own based on their values and understanding of the journey that lies ahead of them.

“With honor and gratitude, we, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine class of 2026, remain steadfast in our continual journey to pursue excellence in medicine,” the oath stated.

The students promised to always remember that each of them is a member of a patient-centered team while also acknowledging that there are limitations to their knowledge.

The students also promised to see health as holistic and provide evidence-based care while respecting a patient's autonomy and standing for a patient’s background, beliefs and values.

“We appreciate the sacrifice of those who empowered us to achieve this opportunity to improve healthcare for future generations,” the oath stated. “Celebrate the art of medicine as an everlasting endeavor in which we embody the roles of a life-long learner, educator and innovator.”

With this being Dr. Berk's 17th White Coat Ceremony he has overseen during his 16-year tenure as dean of the TTUHSC School of Medicine, he said he has seen 13 classes walk the stage at the white coat ceremony and then again at graduation.

Being a dean at a medical school so long, Dr. Berk had some wisdom to impart to the new students.

“The best advice I would give them is to find the joy in medicine, find the joy of being in medical school,” he said. “Then later on, find the particular passion of these special fields in medicine that would meet their interests and meet their basic personality.”

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Future of Medicine: 180 HSC students receive their white coat, take oath