As family and friends look on, the new physicians will recite the traditional Hippocratic oath, receive their diplomas and participate in a hooding ceremony.
“The IU School of Medicine class of 2008 has met the challenge presented to them four years ago when they first took the time-honored physician’s oath to ‘do no harm,’ ” said D. Craig Brater, M.D., dean of the IU School of Medicine and vice president of life sciences.
“Since that day, they have met the rigid academic challenges of medical school and have grasped the complex intricacies of compassion and dignity required of a good physician. Now they will begin the journey IU School of Medicine prepared them for as lifelong students committed to keeping pace with the rapidly expanding science of medicine and continuing to explore the altruistic nature of the doctor-patient relationship.”
Training of the new physicians will continue in July when they begin their residency programs in the specialty they have selected. The length of residency training varies from three to seven years depending on the medical specialty.
The IU School of Medicine, the second largest medical school in the United States with more than 1,200 students, has nine medical education centers throughout the state for first- and second-year students. The School is in the process of expanding class size by 30 percent over the next six years to thwart a physician workforce shortage forecast in a 2006 statewide study.
IU medical education centers are located in Gary (IU-Northwest), Bloomington (IU campus), Evansville (University of Southern Indiana), Terre Haute (Indiana State University), South Bend (University of Notre Dame), West Lafayette (Purdue University), Fort Wayne (Indiana University-Purdue University campus), Muncie (Ball State University), and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.