UCF\u2019s College of Medicine graduated its 1,000th physician Friday with streamers, cheers, tears and military salutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are my 1K graduates,\u201d Deborah German, vice president of health affairs and founding dean, told the Class of 2023. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be prouder of the work you have done. When I came here in 2006 to build this medical school, it was hard to even imagine graduating 100 UCF-trained physicians. And look where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n
In deciding how to recognize the milestone, medical school leaders didn\u2019t want to analyze lists of graduates to pick one individual as the thousandth, German says, because with few exceptions, everyone in the class had gone through their medical education journey together.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou received your white coats together\u2026You entered your clerkships together where you delivered your first baby, participated in your first surgery, counseled your first psychiatric patient,\u201d she says. \u201cTogether you cared for others during a worldwide pandemic\u2026Our community is healthier today because of the work you did together.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour entire class \u2014 each and every one of you \u2014 are the thousandth graduate in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n