COM Outlook Winter 2020

32 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE The coats were pressed, the cameras were charged, and the wait was over as the Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM) hosted two white coat ceremonies in August for the class of 2023 at its Fort Lauderdale/Davie and Tampa Bay Regional campuses. The annual ceremony serves as a symbolic step into the medical profes- sion as the students receive their white coats and recite the Osteopathic Oath. “Walking up that stage as we heard our names called one by one and receiving our white coats symbolized a lifelong period of hard work and dedi- cation toward one goal,” said Joel Davis, a first-year, Tampa Bay Regional Campus student who serves as class president. “One student described her favorite moment as ‘the look on my family’s faces after I received my coat and going out of the room to meet them before the oath.’ ” On August 10, the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus welcomed approximately 230 students to the class of 2023 at the KPCOM’s 39th annual White Coat Ceremony. The Tampa Bay Regional Campus received its inaugural class of about 150 students at the new, 311,000-square-foot educational complex on August 17. The new campus will meet the growing demands for health care professionals, further establishing NSU’s commitment to higher education and the local community. “As the inaugural class, we know we have the opportunity to forge the path for ourselves and for the students that succeed us,” Davis said. “We have the unique opportunity to mold the campus from the inside out. We’re ecstatic to have each other as classmates and are confident that we will be able to tackle any challenges when we work together as a cohesive unit.” Because the college now has sites at two NSU campuses, the KPCOM continues to rise as one of the premier osteopathic colleges in the nation and the largest medical school in Florida based on enrollment statistics. o COM News First-year students (left to right) Gary Chen, Nazli Morel, Minh N. Van, Dhruti Hirani, and John Major are excited to be inaugural KPCOM class members at the Tampa Bay Regional Campus. KPCOM Hosts Inaugural Dual-Campus White Coat Ceremonies