Local 12: 180 UC med students receive white coats, students embark on journey during pandemic

“I worked as an EMT or a first responder throughout the pandemic and I just wanted to be able to do more and help people further throughout the pandemic so I'm really excited to be here,” Scharf said.

That feeling is mutual for Cooke.

“Seeing what people went through, I worked in a hospital, I worked with COVID patients, so seeing what the doctors, the nurses, and techs, the pharmacy, physical therapy everyone what they were doing, it kind of galvanized me in that respect, because I knew what I wanted to do beforehand but it kind of put it in a sharper, clearer perspective of what it entails to do that,” Cooke said.

The College of Medicine received more than 6,100 applications for the class of 2025, the most the college has ever received and an increase of more than 20% from the previous year.

“It's a time where they're going to be tasked for a lot. they will be very successful I'll tell you, all of them," Alvin Crawford, MD, Professor emeritus of orthopedic surgery at UC’s College of Medicine told Local 12. "There will be obstacles but it will cause them to actually step it up and I think will be better off in the end of it but it's going to be a little bit different.”

The 180 new students were welcomed to the event by Philip Diller, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs at the College of Medicine.

"The education you are embarking on is not a medical course, but rather a life course, for which a few years in medical school is but a preparation," said Diller. "We look forward to getting to know each of you over the next four years as individuals; nurturing your strengths, helping you work through and overcome the challenges, and assisting you in your decision about what sort of doctor you wish to be."  

See the entire Local 12 story here.

Lead photo/Joe Fuqua II/UC Creative + Brand