A total of 134 first-year students of Medicine at the University of Valparaíso—81 from the Central House and 53 from the San Felipe Campus—received the traditional white apron and institutional piocha, symbols that from now on will be worn in the clinical fields in which they must perform.
In the case of students assigned to the Reñaca campus, the investiture ceremony was held in the Aula Magna Victorio Pescio and was headed by the dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Antonio Orellana. It was attended by academic authorities, teachers, representatives of the Medical Student Center, family and friends of the students.
The investiture speech was given by the head of the program, Julio Riquelme, who on the occasion invited each student to give their best and take on the challenges of the profession with rigor and ethical principles. In this sense, he maintained that white aprons are a tangible symbol of the commitment of those who wear them with the profession, with themselves, with the University and society.
“Today we come together as a learning community. Each one with their own stories, dreams and motivations, but all united with the same goal: caring for the health and well-being of our fellow human beings. When beginning this path in clinical practice, it is essential to remember that medicine is, in itself, an act of collaboration. On the one hand, collaboration with peers, since no doctor works alone, since we are all part of a health team in which each member plays a role. And on the other hand, collaboration with patients. Remember that at the heart of medicine lies the human quality of the care we provide. This will separate us in the near future from computer technologies and algorithms, which are already at our disposal,” said Dr. Riquelme.
Based on that same argument, the head of the Medicine degree at the Casa Central headquarters added that practicing medicine is not only about managing diseases, but about caring for people. “It’s not just about gathering information and providing an answer, but about listening with empathy and concern,” he said.
Finally, Riquelme highlighted the fact that each student who enters Medicine at the UV in turn enters a state university that is committed to the public good and, in that sense, must carry out their learning in a public health system. Consequently, he urged them to strive to strengthen what belongs to everyone and to collaborate decisively so that equity of opportunities in health is a reality and so that each person, regardless of their origin, condition and means, obtains the care what do you need.
After his intervention, Dean Antonio Orellana spoke, who in turn invited the first-year students to practice medicine as a discipline that is a space for interaction of three dimensions linked together: art, science and humanism . Along with this, he urged them to always practice it with humility and to put aside vanity, a quality that – as he observed – often arises in the profession as a result of what he defined as a special condition that it enjoys in the job market. .
After the speeches, students Ágata Aracena Gómez, Alicia Muñoz Durrels, Antonia Órdenes Gómez and Gabriel Wilde Espinoza, representing their classmates, read the Honor Code of Medical Students of the University of Valparaíso.
Immediately afterwards, each of them went up to the stage to sign the document and, subsequently, be invested by the head of the race with the white apron and institutional piocha. On the occasion, they were also given an institutional bag, the credential to be used in clinical fields and the complementary study regulations of the School of Medicine.
Investiture in San Felipe
Meanwhile, the 53 first-year UV Medicine students who are studying at the San Felipe Campus were inaugurated at that headquarters by the School authorities, in the presence of their parents and family.
The ceremony was led by the head of the course, Camila Vera, who in her speech expressed that “the study of Medicine is a challenge full of sacrifices and rewards, where each lesson learned and each experience lived will bring them one step closer to become the professionals that our society needs so much. The strength of this profession lies not only in the technical and scientific knowledge they will acquire, but also in empathy, compassion and commitment to the well-being of others.”
Then, the coordinator of Clinical Fields, Felipe Zúñiga, read the Honor Code that was signed by each of the students.
Representing the generation, student Antonia Aravena Donoso delivered a message to her classmates. “May this be just the beginning of a memorable journey, full of achievements, growth, courage, strength, empathy, resilience and, above all, conviction and happiness. May the passion for learning and the commitment to serve always guide us on this journey that we begin together,” she expressed.
At the end of her words, the student placed the speech in the time capsule, along with the other messages that the students wish to convey in the future and that they previously deposited in the box. This will be opened in six more years, at the time of graduation of said generation.
In the photograph at the beginning, the Medicine group headquarters at Casa Central; In the second photo, the San Felipe Campus Medicine group.
Note: Gonzalo Battocchio and Daniela Di Prima
