Milestone Events

The white coat reminds physicians of their professional duties, as prescribed by Hippocrates, to lead their lives and practice their art in uprightness and honor.

It is intended to create a psychological, intellectual, and ethical contract for the profession and promotes empathy in the practice of medicine from the very start of medical training. The white coat is a symbol of the profession and connects everyone who shares this profession. The ceremony, in particular, is a rite of passage for which they have spent countless hours studying, volunteering, researching, applying, interviewing and hoping to achieve. It offers an opportunity to reflect on why students have chosen this path and what they hope to accomplish while wearing it.

Every spring, our fourth-year medical students, as well as thousands of other medical students across the country, learn where they have "matched" for their residency training. At precisely 12:00 p.m., each medical student opens an envelope with their name on it to reveal the name of the residency program they'll attend as resident physicians.

Central Michigan University College of Medicine holds its own commencement ceremony on the Sunday following the undergraduate ceremonies.

The ceremony marks the culmination of four years of medical school for the students as they have earned their degree in medicine and the initials "M.D." behind their name.

Family, friends, faculty, and staff come together to celebrate this momentous occasion and to acknowledge these fine young men and women for the hard work and tenacity they have put into the last four years of their lives. Their accomplishments are also celebrated at the post-reception held immediately after the ceremony. 

The College of Medicine is extremely proud of the graduates as they move onto their residency programs and work to leave their mark in the world of medicine.