OAKWOOD, VA (FEBRUARY 9, 2021) – Fifty-four first year students at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) formally received their white coats signifying their entrance into the profession of pharmacy during a recent ceremony held on campus and recorded to allow family members and friends to take part in the ceremony virtually.
Traditionally, students receive their white coats from the dean and from a special person they choose in their lives, who attend the ceremony and present the coats to students, however, due to COVID-19 protocols, that portion of the ceremony was omitted. Students received their white coats bearing the Appalachian College of Pharmacy emblem in advance and wore them to the ceremony where they heard from ACP President Mickey McGlothlin and recited the “Oath of a Pharmacist,” led by ACP Dean Susan Mayhew.
McGlothlin wished students the best on their three-year journey to become qualified, professional pharmacists.
ACP offers Virginia’s only three-year accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program.
McGlothlin urged students to always do their best and to ask themselves if they can do better; to assist their fellow students and to constantly assess their progress through the years as students and later in life throughout their careers.
“I want each and every one of you to become a professional pharmacist and to be the best you absolutely can be,” McGlothlin said. “To do that, assess and evaluate yourselves and treat this school as your job … your work.”
McGlothlin noted the field of pharmacy presents students with opportunities to improve the health and well-being of those around them and he urged them to realize the journey will not always be smooth and as such, it will be a learning experience.
“I challenge each of you to be here and to graduate in 2023,” McGlothlin said. “If you need help, ask your professors and your fellow students. We want you to be successful. We are invested in your success and we want you to be the best pharmacist you can be.”
Mayhew then asked students to rise and administered the “Oath of a Pharmacist,” during which students pledged to devote themselves to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy; to consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering as their primary concerns; to apply knowledge, experience and skills learned to the best of their abilities to ensure optimal outcomes for patients; to respect and to protect all personal and health information entrusted to their care; to accept a lifelong obligation to improve the profession of pharmacy; to hold themselves and their colleagues to the highest principles of the profession’s moral, ethical and legal conduct; to embrace and advocate for changes that improve patient care; and lastly, to utilize their knowledge, skills, experience and values to prepare the next generation of pharmacists.
Upon conclusion of the oath, Mayhew congratulated students and welcomed them to the profession of pharmacy.
The virtual ceremony, available for viewing at https://youtu.be/sM7h8a4ur8w, also recognized each individual student in the Class of 2023 by name and was accompanied by the student’s photograph.
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy is the only three-year Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 2003, the college accepted its first students in 2005. It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its mission is to cultivate a learning community committed to education, community outreach and the professional development of pharmacists. Its graduate pharmacists are now practicing throughout the United States.
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