Student pharmacists don white coats
More than 80 second-year professional student pharmacists joined in a nationwide ceremony where they received their white coats as a symbol of clinical service and care on Sept. 7 at the Edward N. Jones Auditorium on campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
The white coat is more than a symbol, it is a piece of your soul, according to Diane B. Ginsburg, M.S., R.Ph., FASHP, who serves as the assistant dean for student affairs at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and who addressed the crowd of Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy faculty, staff, Class of 2016, family and friends.
The White Coat Ceremony is a solemn, but joyful, recognition of the students’ introduction into the pharmacy profession. The ceremony is a meaningful tradition in which the College welcomes those students who have completed their first year of study as colleagues dedicated to patient care. Students recited the Pledge of Professionalism to publicly acknowledge their new responsibilities and willingness to assume the obligation of the profession.
White coat ceremonies traditionally mark the student’s transition from preclinical coursework to professional level clinical coursework. The White Coat Ceremony, as it is known today, first occurred in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and has since been adopted by numerous colleges and schools involved in the education and training of a range of health and medical professionals.
The Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy introduced the White Coat Ceremony to the Pharmacy Doctoral program in 2007. The current coat worn by students is embroidered with the College’s official logo and the student’s name. The college opened its doors to students in 2006 to meet a critical need in the South Texas community where there is a shortage of pharmacists.
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