As part of the special "Into Your White Coat" sessions the Class of 2015 took prior to their White Coat Ceremony, the faculty asked students to develop a set of guiding principles. The principles will serve as guidelines for the students to follow throughout their time as medical students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine as well as beyond when they go onto residencies and their practices as physician thought leaders.

Class of 2015 President Kyle Cecil recited the principles at the White Coat Ceremony.

"We vow to display sincere honor for the profession we are entering. As future physicians, we will conduct ourselves with integrity in both our personal and professional lives.

We recognize that the intellectual foundation we develop at VTCSOM will contribute to our ability to practice medicine at the highest level. As such, we strive to build that foundation through academic excellence, integrity, curiosity, and discovery.

We pledge to actively participate in the group learning process to enrich our education as a whole. We will treat one another with honesty and respect using self-awareness to promote engaging and supportive relationships.

We commit ourselves to promote a culture of service within the community, aiming to broaden the definition of health care by working alongside community members and health care providers to address inequity."