Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine’s class of 2026 receives white coats

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The white coat ceremony is a tradition that most medical schools across the country participate in. But Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has a unique tradition for the special day.

“We wait until the end of the first block of medical school. Wait until they have this sense that I can make it, I’ve made it through a block, I know what medical school is and I think I can do it,” said Dr. Aubrey Knight, senior dean for student affairs at VTCSOM.

VTCSOM wants each class to understand and appreciate what lies ahead. So in front of family and friends, the 49 students said the oath, got their coats and wrote their names into the class book, like the 12 classes before them.

“This is not just getting their white coat, this is a celebration that they have completed the first block of medical school and they have successfully completed that first block and this is a measure or a recognition of that particular achievement.”

The class of 2026 will be the 13th graduating class in the history of VTCSOM. For more information on the records this class has already broken, head to our previous story here.

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