HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine will welcome its Class of 2030 with a White Coat Ceremony on July 24 in Hagerstown, marking a milestone for both the students and the region’s growing medical community.
The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at the Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Foundation Conference Center in the D.M. Bowman Academic Hall on the Meritus campus.
About 145 first-year medical students are expected to receive their short white coats, a symbolic step that signifies the beginning of their formal training as physicians. The tradition underscores professionalism, compassion and the responsibility students assume as they enter the medical field.
During the ceremony, students will also be reminded of the importance of earning patients’ trust through care and adherence to the Osteopathic Oath.
Meritus officials said the event reflects the broader mission of the school, which opened to address physician shortages in Western Maryland and rural communities nationwide. The school is the first medical school to open in Maryland in more than 100 years.
The need for new physicians remains significant. National projections estimate a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2030. In Western Maryland alone, the current shortage exceeds 50 physicians, according to Meritus Health. Additionally, about one in three physicians nationwide is older than 60, highlighting the urgency of training the next generation of providers.
