Reflections on the White Coat Ceremony for Pharmacy Students 

By Tiffany Nguyen, PharmD and Saquib Mohammed, PharmD BSN RN 

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• What does the white coat ceremony symbolize? 

• • The White Coat ceremony symbolizes the beginning of the students journey into the pharmacy profession. The coat reflects not only prestige and responsibility but also hard work and sacrifice. SM 
  • Agreed! A white coat ceremony celebrates only the BEGINNING of the journey of the profession. Similar to how a wedding celebrates only the beginning of a marriage, not the end. TD 

• White final advice would you like to give your students? 

• • The pharmacy profession requires lifelong learning. We take an oath to remain professionally competent and to keep our skills up to standard. Regardless of whether you’re in the classroom, you should always be learning -> This way you can help patients and the clinical team with the highest quality. SM 
  • Say what you mean and mean what you say—really let that sink in and think about that as you recite the Oath of a Pharmacist. Hold yourself to a high level of integrity and professionalism everywhere you go and always remember to treat others with respect. TD 

• How are you preparing students for clinical practice? 

• • We offer rigorous coursework with world class faculty. We are fortunate to have world class guest lecturers -> not one but 2 talks this term. Lastly, we are fortunate to train students through simulations in our world class simulation lab. SM 
  • We offer courses that hone students’ professional communication skills, courses that expose students to pharmacy practice settings before sending them off to clinical rotations, rigorous therapeutic courses in their 2nd year before they go off to advanced clinical rotations in their 3rd year. We also offer opportunities to strengthen their “soft skills” (e.g. leadership development, interprofessional collaboration, public speaking/education, etc.) through co-curricular activities. TD 

• What does your white coat mean to you? 

• • My white coat reminds me that I am a professional. Meaning I “profess” or “take a promise” to the public. In the Oath of a Pharmacist, I promise to consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering to be my primary concerns. I promise to apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to best of my ability and to assure optimal (clinical) outcomes for all patients. SM 
  • My white coat is a reminder that I have the privilege to lead and serve others, that I get to be in a position to help others. It’s not a bragging right, it’s not a trophy I get to wear to show off my title or rank, and how far I am in life. Rather, it humbles me. A true leader doesn’t sit at the top and relax while watching others work for you, it means you have a greater duty and responsibility to advocate and support your people. “With great power, comes great responsibility.” TD 

• What do you think it means for your students? 

• • I think it means both sacrifice and a goal. For example, students sacrifice forgoing many events with family/friends and instead opting for many sleepless nights of studying. I think it’s also a goal for students. The white coat symbolizes attainment of professional status at the end of their academic journey. SM 
  • I believe it’s a great milestone for them. It’s a moment to celebrate with their family and loved ones the beginning of their professional and doctoral journey, but it also celebrates the close of the chapter before (and everything they’ve had to do in order to get to this moment). It’s a beautiful moment to celebrate for all, because usually to get to this point… it takes a village, not only the student themselves. TD