TOBB ETÜ Faculty of Medicine Has Welcomed Its Students, The Class of ’17 – ‘18, With the White Coat Ceremony

The Opening and White Coat Ceremony of the Faculty of Medicine of TOBB ETÜ was held at the Convention Center of the University. TOBB ETÜ's President Prof. Dr. Adem Şahin, who delivered a speech at the ceremony, which was held for the fifth time this year, stated that the educational system in Turkey canalizes the most successful students to faculties of medicine. Noting that there a various reasons for that situation; Prof. Dr. Şahin said, "The students, who will be educated to be physicians, will touch our lives, being our most sacred right and entity. Therefore; only such students, who are both the smartest and the idealist, should be practicing medicine as physicians."

Emphasizing that the accessing the universal knowledge through learning and education is a life-long endeavor; Prof. Dr. Şahin said," You must, therefore, keep up the hard work at all times, move forward and be the best not only in Turkey but in the world." Prof. Dr. Şahin, who underscored that family is crucial for education and academic success, recommended the students to act in accordance with the expectations of their families. Stating that TOBB ETÜ is a small, warm and idealist family, Prof. Dr. Şahin told that students are the integral stakeholders of that environment. Prof. Dr. Şahin thanked Prof. Dr. Ediz Demirpençe, the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, for his devoted efforts through the course of the foundation, institutionalization and the establishment of the traditions of TOBB ETÜ's Faculty of Medicine.

Prof. Dr. Berkten Berkalp, the Deputy Dean of TOBB ETÜ's Faculty of Medicine, welcomed the students, who have made the decision to become physicians, and started their education at the School. Prof. Dr. Berkten Berkalp, who stated that the practice of medicine is a sacred practice, to which human life is entrusted, said, "Our goal is to treat people, and to extend their lifespan and to improve the quality of their lives. A physician should have integrity, be hardworking, devoted, and carry love for humanity in her/his heart, have empathy and be a good observer."

Prof. Dr. Berkalp, who stated that, in medicine, the expression 'there are no diseases but there are only patients' is sometimes used since each single patient has different characteristics, spoke as follows; "Therefore, the practice of medicine is also an art. And sufficiently good performance of that art requires profound knowledge. The process of gaining such knowledge starts with the education at the School. Being a physician requires constant refreshment and renewal. You must improve and renovate your knowledge throughout your whole lives. We, at TOBB ETÜ's Faculty of Medicine, aim at educating our students to the continuously rising standards of medicine."

Following the delivery of the speeches, the students of TOBB ETÜ's Faculty of Medicine were delivered their white coats, and each student was given a stethoscope as a welcoming present. During the rest of the ceremony, which was also attended by Prof. Dr. Necati Çanakçı, the Medical Director of TOBB ETÜ Hospital; Prof. Dr. Nejat Akar, the Head of the Pediatry Department of the Faculty of Medicine of TOBB ETÜ, delivered the first lecture, titled "Being A Student of the Faculty of Medicine".   The faculty members and the 1st grade students of the Faculty of Medicine also paid a visit of respect to Anıtkabir, Atatürk's monumental tomb in Ankara.