White Coat Ceremony

On Thursday, August 4th, Jeff's Dad Dan, grandmother Phyllis, and I had the opportunity to go to Jeff's white coat ceremony. It was one of the best events I have ever attended. It was amazing seeing how all of Jeff's hard work got him to where he was. It was so fun to celebrate him and see how incrediably happy he was.

Dan (Jeff's Dad), Phyllis (Jeff's Grandma), and Jeff

The ceremony took place on Jeff's school campus in their brand new auditorium. It's really a beautiful facility. If you would like to take a tour of the campus and the Weaver Auditorium you can click here.

My handsome man waiting before the ceremony started.

The big moment, of officially getting the whitecoat. The university had physicians come and present each student with their coat. It was a really wonderful thing to witness.

That is a look of pure happiness.

We thought we would be sitting pretty far away, but we actually ended up sitting on the second row. Talk about up close and personal. I completely brought the wrong camera lens with me.

Here is a fun game, it's call Where's Jeff?

Closer...

There he is!

This was the part in the ceremony where they all repeated the Oath of Commitment.

It was so nice to have Jeff's dad and grandma there at the ceremony, to share in Jeff's joy and happiness. It was really neat to see how proud Jeff's family was. I know it really made him feel loved.

I am so proud of Jeff. It really has been incredible to see all of his hard work getting him to where he is today. Jeff is one of the hardest working men I have ever met, and I know this will help him throughout his medical school studies.

This is one Jeff's friends named Mitch. I'm sure there will be many study sessions spent together.

I think his white coat fits him well. : )

After the white coat ceremony they had a banquet for all the students and their families. It was in downtown Kansas City, and that was my first time visiting downtown. There are some pretty amazing buildings in the heart of downtown.

It was a nice reception, but I kept thinking about getting back to the kids. We left the three of them with some amazing friends (Jessika and Daniel) that we have met. The very first day we moved into the townhouses Jessika showed up with chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes. I knew we would be instant friends. Not only does she share my love for good food, but she is one of the nicest, most caring people I have ever met.

So after a wonderful evening we were able to go home and see all three kids tucked peaceful into bed. I can't think of a better night!

Just for my own record I wanted to make sure I wrote down some of the notes that were from the speakers talks and quotes that they gave. I was very impressed with how much they tied spirituality and focusing on the truly meaningful things in life.

Winston Churchill ~ "We make a living by what we receive, but we make a life by what we give."

Always keep close your faith, family, and friends. Our faith is our strength, and family and friends are our encouragement and support, the ones that will keep us strong.

Each student was hand chosen by faculty and staff to be a part of the KCUMB family. You students are the best of the best. Medical school is hard, but don't give up you are not alone. Feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and wanting to give up at different times is a normal and natural part of taking on such an amazing feat as medical school. Take courage because your new school family is part of your life. If you take care of yourself while you are in medical school the wonderful family that you are now a part of will take care of the academic part.

Four P's of Medical School = 1. Purpose 2. Perspective 3. Persistence 4. Perseverance

1.Live each day with purpose, and find out what your specific purpose is. Every day we wake up is a gift. Begin each day as if it was on Purpose. As a doctor aren't you trying to have your patients live at their best, so shouldn't you be also? Study YOURSELF, figure out who you want to be, and then learn to live everyday for that purpose.

2. There is literally not enough hours in a day to get through all the material they give you, but you have to remember that there is so much more to life than just medical school. The difference between a 91 and 96 percent on a section is not worth damaging your marriage, the relationship with your kids, with your family, or friends. The biggest mistake I could have done was to do better in medical school ~ to do better in school means neglecting family. Perspective and Balance is key.

3. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race. Medical school is a marathon not a sprint.

4. Take courage and be strong when you feel weak. When you feel like a complete failure remember that you were specifically chosen by experts at knowing whether or not you would succeed. Every single day is a gift, yes even exam days. Be the kind of physician you would like to have if you were sick.