Why Do Medical Students Wear Short White Coats. Many graduate healthcare programs, ranging from medical and nursing school to physical therapy and occupational therapy degree programs, hold a white coat ceremony as a rite of passage for students. What do medical students wear in hospital?

Fellows and attendings wear the longer white lab coats. The white coat embodied this new philosophy. During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student’s shoulders and often the hippocratic oath is recited, signifying their.