Bernalillo schools hosts inaugural 'white coat' ceremony

BERNALILLO — Speaking Thursday to Bernalillo High School medical science students, Dr. John Gurule, a member of the Bernalillo Public Schools Board of Education, offered them two pieces of advice: have a goal and don't tell people things unless they ask. 

The latter piece prompted a nervous laughter from students and families who gathered for a white coat ceremony, but it was Gurule's way of sharing his personal journey to becoming a doctor and resident physician in emergency medicine at University of New Mexico Hospital. Gurule, who attended BPS, said he did not earn a high school diploma and still managed to become a doctor.

"The day I graduated medical school, I figured, 'This is the day. Someone is going to ask: Did I graduate from high school?'" Gurule said. "It still hasn't happened. ... It's OK."

His comments came during a ceremony that was a first for BPS, a nod to tradition for students who graduate medical school. The event honored 12 seniors who received their white coats and 15 juniors who were passed the "torch of responsibility" to year four of the program, which includes Principles of the Biomedical Sciences (Year 1), Human Body Systems (Year 2), Medical Interventions (Year 3) and Biomedical Innovations Medical Senior Capstone (both Year 4).

Gurule and other officials, including BPS instructor Stephanie Gurule-Leyba, also spoke of the widely reported physician shortage in New Mexico, part of what inspired the program that began during the 2022-23 school year. The shortage, which numerous groups say amounts to a net loss of 248 physicians since 2019, has recently come under scrutiny due to conflicting or inconclusive data, according to a report by the Albuquerque Journal. 

"It's not about ... getting them educated so they leave — it's about getting them educated so they can come back and serve,"  Gurule-Leyba said during remarks. "Without them, where will we be? I know I've been searching for a health care provider ... so I keep telling (students), 'I need you to help take care of me!'"

She added her belief that each of her students possess unique gifts and that they will "perserver." She called upon the students to "never forget the difference you make, now and into the future."

Gurule added during his address that he and school officials are still committed to helping students reach their goals even after they leave BHS. 

Following Gurule's address, seniors were individually called to the front of the staging area in the school cafeteria, where they received their white coats. School officials introduced each student, stating what field of medicine they wanted to join and a shoutout to people who inspired them. The seniors were then administered their medical oaths in their white coats.

Juniors heard well-wishes from their senior counterparts before they were "passed" the torch of responsibility and took an oath of their own.

BHS Assistant Principal Benito Levario Jr. gave closing remarks, thanking students and their families for coming to the ceremony. He asked students to keep in mind that when "you've had your hardest day, your patients have had an even harder day." He also called upon students to take care of themselves.

"When you're out there being a doctor, you're going to need a doctor as well," Levario Jr. said.

BHS junior Valeria Diaz said she felt special attending the ceremony — even if she has one more year before she earns her white coat. 

"The classes are a little hard, but I know everything is going to be worth it," Diaz said. "I can't wait for it to be my turn."

BHS senior Ryanna Mortensen said she was nervous to get up in front of a crowd, but she was proud to put on the white coat because "I've worked hard for it."

"It's the end of this program, but the beginning of college and my next journey," Mortensen said, adding that she intends to wear her coat during relevant science classes.