To the administration of the Southern California University of Health Sciences, 

On behalf of the SCUHS MSPA class of 2022, we respectfully request that our remote white coat ceremony scheduled for January 20, 2022 be reconsidered and adjusted to accommodate in-person participation. 

To physician assistant students across the nation, the white coat ceremony represents the epitome of academic achievement and marks a transition from student to health care professional. The white coat ceremony is one of only a handful of milestones that we have the opportunity to share with close friends, family members and mentors, all of whom have contributed and sacrificed to allow us to pursue our passion. This celebration is just as much for them as it is for us. 

This last year has been exceptionally difficult for our class. Months away from our family and countless hours of studying has compounded with the added stressors of COVID-19, leading to unprecedented challenges that we have had to overcome in order to reach this important moment. It would mean the world to us to be able to spend this time with those who we love and celebrate the fruits of our labor. 

We recognize that it may not be possible to conduct a traditional white coat ceremony in the current environment. The health and safety of our families, the staff, and our class is our top priority. With this in mind, we are aware that other healthcare programs within LA and the Greater Los Angeles area have safely and successfully conducted in-person white coat and graduation ceremonies while still adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols and regulations. Links to these recent in-person ceremonies are provided below and include universities such as USC, UC Irvine, UCLA, Western University of Health Sciences, Loma Linda University and Marshall B. Ketchum University. 

Held on 7/29/21: Loma Linda University School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony Class of 2025

Held on 8/2-7/21: Western University of Health Sciences White Coat Ceremony

Held on 8/5-6/21: USC Keck School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony Class of 2024

Held on 8/18/21: USC PharmD back-to-back White Coat Ceremony Class of 2024 and 2025

Held on 8/27/21: USC Occupational Therapy White Coat Ceremony Class of 2022 and 2023

Held on 8/27/21: USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy White Coat Ceremony Class of 2022 and 2023

Held on 9/3/21: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony Class of 2025

Held on 9/24/21: UC Irvine PharmD White Coat Ceremony Class of 2025 

Held on 10/8/21: Marshall B. Ketchum University PA Studies White Coat Ceremony Class of 2022

Despite the start of flu season, the number of COVID-19 cases are on a downward trend. LA county has reached its 36th day in the past 41 days that the number of COVID patients in county hospitals declined, down from a summer peak of nearly 1,800 that were brought on by the more contagious Delta variant. According to the CDC, the amount of COVID-19 cases in California are projected to continue to decrease with the collective efforts of mandated masking, social distancing and COVID-19 vaccinations. We believe that with COVID safety precautions and social distancing in an outdoor venue, we will continue to do our part as future providers to protect ourselves, our families, and most importantly the public’s health. Supporting links to CDC articles are provided below. 

CDC COVID Data Tracker​

Interpretation of Forecasts of New Cases​

Tracking COVID-19 in California

In light of declining COVID-19 cases within California and LA, our cohort as a whole has contemplated and selected 3 potential alternatives, which conjointly satisfy state and local guidelines while preserving the safety and integrity of the faculty, students, families, and ceremony. 

1. Our first alternative involves holding the ceremony in an outdoor setting within the university premises itself. This alternative is in line with the University of Southern California Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy program, as well as the CDC guidelines of COVID-19 in LA County. USC Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program is also located in LA County and on August 27th, 2021 they were able to host a COVID-19 friendly white coat ceremony for their students. In following this proposal, we would require that students, faculty, and family members remain seated outdoors during the entire duration of the ceremony and that chairs remain spaced at least 6 feet apart. The current CDC guidelines for LA County states that most places have already reopened entirely and have completely eliminated the need for social distancing and capacity limitations altogether. However with the health and safety of our family and staff in mind, we are still electing to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. The rules that must be followed in public settings include mandated mask wear for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to protect against Delta variant. LA County is allowing events of 1,000-10,000 attendees. We are proposing our event to hold no more than 250 people and that each student be allowed to bring a maximum of 3 guests to their ceremony, everyone wear masks, and remain socially distant. We are also considering the need for assigned seating per party. In some venues, visitors must show that they are fully vaccinated or that they have had a negative test in the last 3 days; an option that we are open to considering as well. In coordination with this proposal we are okay with changing the date and time if needed in order to align with the best time for sunlight in California, in January. 

Link to above proposal

2. Our second alternative involves holding the ceremony on campus in an outdoor setting with just students and faculty. This proposal is in line with Marshall B. Ketchum University Physician Assistant Program whose white coat ceremony was held on October 8, 2021. This program had allowed their students to walk across the stage of their campus Amphitheater. Held entirely outside, students were able to receive their white coats from faculty and stream it live to family via Zoom. This proposal helps to maintain the dignity and significance of the white coat ceremony. The SCUHS MSPA class of 2022 is also open to this alternative as we want to share this moment with each other and with our faculty who have greatly supported us throughout our PA school journey. For students that are out of state or live farther in California (roughly 33% of our current cohort) and are physically away from family, a virtual white coat ceremony may mean being alone for this joyous moment. We believe that this alternative addresses such a dilemma by being able to celebrate in-person together. 

Link to above proposal

3. Our third and final alternative involves holding the ceremony at a stadium, park, or other venue. This venue ideally, would be held outdoors and spacious enough to satisfy appropriate social distancing protocol. This proposal is in line with SCUHS MSPA Cohort 4 Graduation Ceremony that is scheduled to take place in-person on December 2021 at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With this option, we can be limited to 3 guests per student or possibly request for an unlimited capacity given the small size of our cohort (48 students) and the large outdoor space it provides. We strongly believe that proposal #3 could be a viable long term solution to addressing both graduation needs and white coat ceremonies for all students at SCUHS. 

We want to take this time to thank the MSPA faculty and staff for all their support and diligent work during these challenging times. The SCUHS MSPA class of 2022 are open to working alongside administration to plan such alternatives. We hope that this petition will be strongly considered. 

Thank you for your time.