Daniel Estess had spent years grooming himself to be considered worthy of a seat among the 2015 incoming class of students at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
But it wasn’t until he volunteered for a medical mission in Fiji this past February, Estess said, that he realized the weight of his decision to apply for medical school and how much it would mean to him to be accepted.
On Friday, Estess and 67 other aspiring physicians participated in JABSOM’s annual cloaking ceremony, accepting a short white coat symbolizing their new status as students of medicine.
"Working with that community in Malolo (Island), where there was such a strong need for medical care, I knew I had made the right decision," Estess said.
Estess, a graduate of Kealakehe High School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, joined the mission through his cousin, who is involved with the Fiji Medical & Dental Foundation.
Estess said he’s looking forward to returning to Fiji one day as a full-fledged doctor. But before that can happen, Estess and his cohort will undergo an educational and personal journey the likes of which they cannot yet fully understand.
Second-year student Christopher Wong, 26, said the program’s emphasis on giving students firsthand clinical experience helped him to recognize early on the consequence of the work he will be doing as a professional medical practitioner.
"A lot of medicine is beneath the surface," said Wong, a graduate of Columbia University. "The first few months in the classroom are very fast-paced. But when you’re in the hospital working directly with patients directly, you get a sense of joy. You start to understand the importance of what you’re doing. It starts to come alive."
The 68 students admitted for the fall 2015 semester were selected from 2,230 applicants. They represent the largest incoming class since Dean Jerris Hedges announced in 2010 his intention to expand physician training to meet the growing demand for doctors in Hawaii.
Of the 68 students, 54 come from Hawaii high schools; 20 graduated from Hawaii universities.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the school, the students were presented their white coats by JABSOM alumni from each of the last five decades.
Along with the white coats, the incoming students at Friday’s ceremony also received a stethoscope from the Hawaii Medical Foundation and a copy of "Aequanimitas" (Sir William Osler’s famous essay on the ideal demeanor of the physician) from the Friends of the Medical School.
The commemoration of JABSOM’s 50th anniversary continues Saturday with a fundraising gala at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel.
