First-Year Pharmacy Students Receive Their White Coats

After an immersive orientation week on campus, first-year students in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University took the first ceremonial step in their academic careers during the annual White Coat Ceremony.

Held on Friday, Sept. 1, the White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for pharmacy students, celebrating the start of their first semester at the School and formally welcoming them into the profession. Students earn their white coats, which they will wear in the classroom and out in the field as they build a cadre of academic and hands-on pharmacy experience.

“The White Coat Ceremony is one of symbolism. For many years, both medical and pharmacy schools have conducted these ceremonies for students prior to their initial experiential training,” said Dr. Christine Birnie, dean of the School. “The White Coat Ceremony impresses upon students the high level of responsibility with which society is about to entrust them. Our students receive their new white coats and recite the Oath of a Pharmacist to symbolize the need to balance excellence in science with humanistic patient care.”

President Gerard J. Rooney also offered remarks to the students, encouraging them to fully engage and embrace their studies and take advantage of the opportunities presented to them.

“My hope is that you experience all that comes with a collaborative community like ours – and that at your commencement, you will have the satisfaction and pride that comes as a result of fully investing in yourself and your preparation for the essential role you will play in the pharmacy profession,” Rooney said.

The ceremony is sponsored by Wegmans Pharmacy, the Pharmacy Society of Rochester, Walgreens, and CVS.