Johan Clarke: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS REVOLUTION AND REPRESENTATION

Doctors have a long and terrible history of policing queer bodies through treatments and surgical procedures, discriminating against members of the LGBT community by denying gender identity or necessary care, and maintaining a hostile environment for both members of the medical team and the patient. It's telling that a lot of health care disparities in the LGBT community are a result of fear of going to the doctor and that one study claimed about 30% of non-heterosexual med students did not disclose their sexual or gender identity during their time in med school. I wear my white coat as an act of rebellion against a field that wants to deny and forget my existence, in the hope that I can help make the medical community a better place for my fellow members of the queer community. That being said, I recognize that I am still a white male presenting human and that is still an untrustworthy figure for many. I know that the white coat is a strong player in queer erasure and wearing it can be a step backward in my attempts. My white coat reminds me of what I look like, what I need to do to hopefully counteract that fear and erasure, and what I should do to make medicine less dangerous to people like me. 

-Johan Clarke, MD Candidate, Class of 2019

My White Coat Means: Second Year Students

The white coat is a polarizing symbol, both to those who see it and to those who wear it. For medical students, the short white coat is an object of identification and standardization. As a utility, it clearly demarcates our professional role within a healthcare team. But beyond its functional role as an identifier, the white coat adopts a deeper symbolic meaning unique, yet malleable, to its owner.

We asked second year medical students what their white coats means to them. Their responses speak to their motivations for entering medicine, their future aspirations, and life philosophies. Many of their reflections share themes: that medicine is a vocation, a special window into unfiltered humanity, and a position from which to effect change and help others.

As much as the white coat standardizes every person in these photos, they all remain individuals, each with a story to tell. For many, this story is a narrative in progress, as the meaning of their white coats ebbs and flows with their own medical journeys. We hope these photos and reflections lay bare those stories. 

Neha Rajpal: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS DOING ORDINARY THINGS EXTRAORDINARILY WELL

How does it feel to swim across a lake when you can barely see the other side?

Ask a medical student. She will tell you that every stroke is a deliberate one. Most of her actions, seemingly ordinary, will fade from her memory when she emerges from the water on the other side. What will remain is the greater feat of conquering the lake. Mastering each stroke along her journey, she strives to transform into someone worthy of her white coat.

-Neha Rajpal, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Jaspreet Bahia: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS A SYMBOL OF TRUST

My white coat is a symbol of trust. Every time I put on my white coat people not only look at me differently, but also treat me differently. It’s only been my first month of medical school and a patient has already disclosed intimate details about their life to me. A patient has already trusted me with things that they were not comfortable telling their closest friends and family members. What have I done to earn the trust that comes with wearing this white coat? I think I was given this coat because someone believed in me, someone believed that I can be trusted to show every patient I encounter empathy, compassion, and give each and every patient the care they deserve. Every time I put on my white coat it is a reminder of the trust I was given and it is a new opportunity to show I am worthy of this trust.

-Jaspreet Bahia, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Frank Migliarese: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS BEING MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

This phrase and question from the story of Cain and Abel has always resonated with me because I have always been my brother's keeper, literally. My brother was born with Spina Bifida, a congenital birth defect, and I, along with my family, was responsible for helping him with his daily care. Living with my brother taught me what it means to be responsible for another's well-being and more importantly how much families, friends, and communities do to support the ones they love. My white coat means taking responsibility for the care of all in the community I serve, ensuring that patients and their support systems have the power to live fulfilling lives. I do so compassionately and humbly. All who come to me are my family and will be treated as such.  Together, as a team, we can be each other's keepers and support each other through our journeys in life.

-Frank Migliarese, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Umar Khan: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS SERVICE

Service to my community. Service to my country. As a member of the DC community since 2010, I have strived to give back to those that live in this city. As an undergrad and SMP at Georgetown I worked with residents of Anacostia and other disadvantaged neighborhoods. As a medical student and future physician, I will continue to serve. Beyond the local community, I will proudly serve my country as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army - a country that has given me so many opportunities and allowed me, the son of immigrants, to earn this coat. Everyday I wear it I am reminded of the opportunities I have been so fortunate to have.

-Umar Khan, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Preethi Venkat: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS A GLOBAL COMMITMENT

To me, cura personalis applies not only to the patients we see, but to the global community in which we all live. When I wear my white coat, I am reminded of the commitment that I’ve made to promoting public health and caring for others at the population level, both locally and abroad. It is a symbol that allows me to take my education from the classroom and apply it to the hospital setting and beyond. It reminds me that I have the ability and the responsibility to contribute to a global movement toward better health.

-Preethi Venkat, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Priya Mehta: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS HEALING THE BODY AND SOUL

My white coat gives me the opportunity to play multiple roles in a patient’s life, including a scientist, confidante, and counselor. These ultimately culminate to one major role: a healer. To me, the field of medicine’s beauty is in its potential to heal the whole person, including the mind, body, and spirit. When embracing a holistic healing approach to patient care, medicine enables physicians to not only sustain and recuperate a life, but to also give that life a comforted and ignited spirit. This beautiful duality is at the core of my belief system and is an ideology I am excited to spend my life practicing in order to improve the human condition.

-Priya Mehta, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Danny Flautero: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS SOCIAL ADVOCACY

My white coat is a reminder to speak up against the inequities that pervade not only our healthcare system, but most aspects of our society. As future physicians, we made a promise to listen and heal to the best of our abilities, but are we fulfilling this oath when we send people back to the same conditions that made them sick in the first place? To me, becoming a doctor means understanding the socioeconomic factors that lead to differences in health between populations and working with communities, especially minorities, to address social injustices that lead to disease.  

-Danny Flautero, MD Candidate, Class of 2020

Isabella Camacho: "My White Coat Means"

MY WHITE COAT MEANS DEDICATION & COMPASSION

My white coat symbolizes the beginning of my journey into the healing profession of medicine. By being guided by cura personalis values, I hope to become an understanding compassionate physician. I am blessed to be a part of the team of students, physicians, friends, and family that support my dreams. One of the most rewarding aspects of becoming a physician is the ability to make a positive impact on patients by establishing trusting relationships. My white coat serves as a reminder that I must strive to provide patients with the best quality of care possible. As a future doctor, I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to serving others and promise to wear my coat with humility and honor.

-Isabella Camacho, MD Candidate, Class of 2020