Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony

White Coat Ceremony

The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic rite of passage for students of the healing arts. For the pharmacy student, it signifies the professional relationship with other colleagues who provide healthcare services.

This ceremony reaffirms the academic community’s support of the educational process that prepares future health providers for practice. On this day, students pledge their commitment to the profession of pharmacy and the health of the patients they serve.

Contributing to the care and healing of others is a privilege and a responsibility. The white coat worn by each pharmacy student is more than a familiar lab coat: it is a cloak of caring, compassion, and service.

Pledge of Professionalism

As a student of pharmacy, I believe there is a need to build and reinforce a professional identity founded on integrity, ethical behavior, and honor. This development, a vital process in my education, will help ensure that I am true to the professional relationship I establish between myself and society as I become a member of the pharmacy community. Integrity must be an essential part of my everyday life and I must practice pharmacy with honesty and commitment to service.

To accomplish this goal of professional development, I as a student of pharmacy should

DEVELOP a sense of loyalty and duty to the profession of pharmacy by being a builder of community, one able and willing to contribute to the well-being of others, and one who enthusiastically accepts the responsibility and accountability for membership in the profession.

FOSTER professional competency through lifelong learning. I must strive for high ideals, teamwork, and unity within the profession in order to provide optimal patient care.

SUPPORT my colleagues by actively encouraging personal commitment to the Oath of Maimonides and a Code of Ethics as set forth by the profession.

INCORPORATE into my life and practice, dedication to excellence. This will require an ongoing reassessment of personal and professional values.

MAINTAIN the highest ideals and professional attributes to ensure and facilitate the covenantal relationship required of the pharmaceutical caregiver.

The profession of pharmacy is one that demands adherence to a set of rigid ethical standards. These high ideals are necessary to ensure the quality of care extended to the patients I serve. As a student of pharmacy, I believe this does not start with graduation; rather, it begins with my membership in this professional college community. Therefore, I must strive to uphold these standards as I advance toward full membership in the profession of pharmacy.

Developed by the American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Students of Pharmacy/American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans (APhA-ASP/AACP-COD) Task Force on Professionalism on June 26, 1994.