Ross University Dean and Chancellor:They see us as their school

Ross University School of Medicine welcomed 233 students to receive their White Coats on January 16, 2015. The White Coat Ceremony signifies the end of Orientation and the beginning of the students' career as a medical student.

In his welcoming remarks to the students and invited guests, Dean and Chancellor of Ross University, Dr Joseph Flaherty commended the Government of Dominica for showing interest in the school.

"Where in the United States you find a medical school that is so well wished by its host country when you start medical school. The president of the country comes, the people come, they are invested in us which means they are invested in you. That's a real compliment to us and we are grateful to them as they see us as their school as much as you see it as your school," said Dr Flaherty.

According to Dr Flaherty, despite of the opinion that society may have about medicine today, he told the students there are still tremendous joys in the field of medicine.

"How many times people have said I don't know about medicine now…medicine is not what it used to be…there is tremendous joy left in medicine first of which is the privilege of being able to sit in a room and talk to a patient, have them tell you their life story, may be reveal to you intimacies about their life that they have spoken to no one about," he said.

Dr Flaherty added : "Medicine is going to be very different than it used to be because instead of being a God like creature doctor we are more like a colleague, educator and mutual decision maker over our patients and try to give them as much information."

Meanwhile, past student of Ross University and keynote speaker Dr Vedvati Patel told the students: "This journey is truly a transformational one, you change as a person and in every dimension of your life so embrace these four years."

She told the students that their focus should not be on where they learn medicine but on how they mould themselves into a higher standard of professionalism.

"I am not going to say this journey is going to be easy, a cake walk for instance when you up at night studying right before your exam and you having just enough caffeine and your heart is palpitating and your are saying "Oh, My God" I can't study anymore and I just want to go to sleep and whatever comes comes and I give up and close your book but it's those times you have to remember and pull through, she added.

Over 11, 000 students have graduating from Ross University School of Medicine with medical degrees since 1978 and over the past ten years Ross has placed more graduates in U.S residency slots than any other medical school in the world.