A white coat holds special meaning to health care professionals. For the Physician Assistant Class of 2025, the Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2027 and the Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2025, it’s an outward sign of entering into their health care educational journey. These students received a white coat emblazoned with the Campbell University logo to let the world know that they are preparing for a purposeful life of meaningful service in a healthcare career.
The White Coat Ceremony is an important milestone in a student’s path to a professional career. And no one knows that more than this year’s speaker, Mary Carr Allen Bentley (’19 PA), who is serving as a physician assistant in the Child Health Clinic with the Wake County Health Department.
She provided a meaningful address to the students and outlined a framework for them to use each time they put on their white coat. A framework that will help them focus on three principles:
- When you put your arm in the left sleeve, remember how far you’ve come;
- When you put your arm in the right sleeve, remember your purpose and where you are heading; and
- When you button your coat, remember the significance of today… “because when you remember the why behind what you are doing and where you are heading, you become grateful for how far you have come and you embrace the significance of today and its impact on your future.”
In addition to Bentley, two other CPHS alumni participated in this year’s ceremony. Jade Frowner (’23 PharmD) provided the Invocation and assisted in coating the PharmD students and Aydan Heavner (’23 PA) helped to coat the PA students.
The coats were generously provided by alumni. The Class of 2023 Wallace Student Society sponsored the white coats for the Master of Physician Assistant Practice students. The Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2023 and pharmacy alumni who gave through the Note in the Coat campaign sponsored the white coats for the Doctor of Pharmacy students. The physical therapy alumni who gave through the Note in the Coat campaign sponsored the white coats for the Doctor of Physical Therapy students.
The faculty and staff at CPHS are honored to have these students with us and look forward to seeing them develop into competent, compassionate, caring healthcare professionals.
Watch the recording of the ceremony 2023 White Coat Ceremony ProgramPhotos of the event:
