New medical students from across Wyoming, including a former Powell High School student, were recently presented with stethoscopes and white coats, during a ceremony marking their journeys to become physicians.

The students’ white coats were presented by local Wyoming doctors who mentor medical students throughout all four years of their education. The students were then presented stethoscopes and diagnostic kits.

The new medical students include Powell’s Jordan Moore, son of PHS English and journalism teacher Amy Moore.

Dr. Dan Radosevich, a clinical assistant professor, spoke to the medical students during the ceremony and will lead their clinical education over the next 18 months.

“Now that the students have received their physical examination equipment (at the stethoscope ceremony), the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) clinical faculty is looking forward to teaching the students how to talk with and examine patients,” Radosevich says. “Now is the time for the students to learn how to think, act, feel and comport themselves like physicians.”

The WWAMI Medical Education Program — Wyoming’s medical school — is a partnership between the University of Wyoming and the University of Washington School of Medicine. WWAMI is an acronym for the five states that participate in the program: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

For the students, the event held deep significance in their journey toward becoming physicians.

“The stethoscope ceremony was a deeply meaningful milestone, one we have all envisioned and worked toward for years,” says Brooklyn Prince, a first-year medical student from Cheyenne. “Wearing our white coats and stethoscopes for the first time felt like a collective achievement that united us in purpose and pride. To be a part of the WWAMI program is both an honor and a privilege, and I feel so fortunate to carry this responsibility alongside classmates who are compassionate and dedicated.”

Dr. Todd Guth, director of the WWAMI program at UW, also spoke during the ceremony and reflects that “the Wyoming WWAMI stethoscope ceremony is a tradition and a rite of passage marking a moment when medical students transition from aspiration to commitment, from learners of science to students of medicine.”

Guth also emphasizes the importance of celebrating the moment with family, friends, faculty and community members to highlight the public nature of the commitment that the students were accepting.

“The WWAMI stethoscope ceremony is a powerful reminder of the University of Wyoming’s vital role in training the next generation of physicians for our state and region,” says Patrick Hardigan, dean of the College of Health Sciences. “These 20 students represent Wyoming’s future in health care — committed, compassionate and deeply connected to the communities they will one day serve. “I am especially thankful to Dr. Todd Guth, WWAMI director, and his outstanding faculty and staff for their leadership and dedication to medical education. I also am grateful to Ivinson Memorial Hospital, the University of Washington School of Medicine and our many physician mentors who make this program possible,” Hardigan continues. “Together, we are advancing the mission of the College of Health Sciences to improve health and well-being across Wyoming and beyond.”