'Trailblazers': Texas Tech Vet School hosts first white coat ceremony

The first-ever White Coat Ceremony for Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo honored 62 students for their educational progression from pre-clinical training to veterinary care during clinical rotations starting in May.

Many dignitaries were on hand Sunday afternoon at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, including Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley, TTU School of Veterinary Medicine dean and professor, Guy H. Loneragan, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, Dr. John Dascanio, TTU senior associate dean for academic and student affairs/professor of theriogenology among others delivered their congratulations and wisdom to the students, family and friends.

When receiving their white coats, the students appeared on the stage carrying their coat and accompanied by someone special to them whether it be a parent, child, sibling, doctor or teacher, to help them put on the coat, according to Dascanio. They also received a coin with the seal of the vet school on one side and an impression of a windmill on the back to represent grit, endurance and the center on community.

The White Coat symbolizes to the public, the knowledge, skills and behaviors of a doctor, according to the program handed out to those in attendance. It brings with it an expectation of respect, care compassion and trust. The practice of cloaking of a doctor-to-be started in the early 20th Century.

Prior to that, doctors wore black clothing, which was then considered formal. The change to white symbolized the “pureness” of medicine and the clean and aseptic environment. The students come from across the Texas Panhandle region, all over the state, New Mexico and beyond.

Mayor Stanley thanked the group for choosing Texas Tech and Amarillo and quoted Psalm 1:3; “He will be like a tree planted by living water, that yields his fruit in due season. He will not wither and shall prosper in everything he does.” He said he hoped that the students would plant their roots deep in the community and prosper in all things.

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec recalled that in December 2015, then-Texas Tech System Chancellor Bob Duncan made the trip to Amarillo to announce the system planned to pursue a school of veterinary medicine.

"A school that would be innovative and not duplicate existing services provided by this state," Schovanec said. "And this is the first class to go through this white coat ceremony and it will never happen again. Your experiences and the special bond of being the first will always be a part of your legacy, being trailblazers. You are a living reality to those who wish to become veterinarians that it is possible."

“Your cocoon is about to split open and the first light of what you are going to become is visible to the world. We’re all excited to see the metamorphosis that your life is about to take in your clinicals," said Dr. Britt Conklin, Associate Dean for Clinical Programs.

Conklin talked about the seal of the coin, which features a windmill, which have historically played a role in providing water to area communities.

“Windmills have been used for various uses throughout history, such as water retrieval and wind power," he said, adding that students were challenged to do many similar tasks of the windmills. "Working in a challenging climate and capturing those challenges, like the wind, and converting it to energy and converting it for water or electricity.“

Britt said life could be challenging but that the students were built with the educational equipment and knowledge to meet the challenge and add it to their skill set of patience.

Windmills use resources that are not readily available, like water underground. All of them have to draw from a deep well. Conklin told them to look at the resources around them, the other students and teachers. He told them that windmills commonly had communities gather around them.

“Harness the challenge, transform the environment and reach from that deep well and deliver a lifechanging product,” he advised.

Dr. Seth Soloman of SWANN Animal Clinic spoke to the crowd about not being a stellar student and his philosophy that "school should never get in the way of education." Soloman said much of his classes were viewed from the back of the class and he really didn’t get passionate about being a vet until he went to work with an emergency veterinary clinic and saw how much he could help people by helping their dogs and cats.

He compared decisions to hats, and the ability to change them if you don’t like one. He made other comparisons to haircuts and tattoos.

"Life is balancing the risk and reward factors and some people are risk takers, who love to win more than they hate to lose and some are risk avoiders, who hate to lose more than they like to win," he said.

He gave advice to both types and told them to know their personality type and work within their perimeters. He advised students, “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb - that’s where the fruit is.”

He also criticized social media for not listing failures, as well as successes, during life.

“Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it is the tuition you pay to learn,” he said and proceeded through a list of people, including Winston Churchill, who had experienced many failures.

He ended with four things for graduates to remember: “Don’t take the easy way out; proceed with caution and learn from your mistakes and look for opportunities to fail forward.”

The last speaker was Dr. John Dascanio, Sr. Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, who spoke to students on the significance of the White Coat Cloaking.

After that, the students were recognized one by one with someone of their choosing, placing their hard-earned White Coat on them. There was a ceremony afterwards which was full of well-wishers, friends and family celebrating the new veterinarians' beginning.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 'Trailblazers': Texas Tech Vet School hosts first white coat ceremony