First "white coat" ceremony welcomes pharmacy students

October 27, 2004

First "white coat" ceremony welcomes pharmacy students

by Charles Crosby

	Pharmacy students receive their symbolic 'white coats' at the World Tradeand Convention Centre ceremony.

The College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University held its first "white coat" ceremony to welcome the class of 2008 into the pharmacy profession, Wednesday, Oct. 20 at the World Trade and Convention Centre. The moving event featured guest speakers from the profession and the student society, the presenting of the "White Coat" to the new students, a reciting and signing of the code of professionalism and a reading of the professional code of ethics.

"By conducting a White Coat ceremony the College of Pharmacy has a chance to formally welcome our first year students into our profession and instill in them a sense of pride and belonging to a wonderful professional society," says Rita Caldwell, Director of the College of Pharmacy.

This ceremony follows a format used by most of the pharmacy schools in the United States and Dalhousie will be the fourth in Canada to adopt it. The event was sponsored by the Sobey's Pharmacy Group. The lab coats were a gift from the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society, and the PEI Pharmacy Board.