August 15, 2022
AUBURN, Alabama - The Harrison College of Pharmacy’s Class of 2026 joined the Auburn Family on Friday, August 12 as friends and family joined the incoming student pharmacists at the 2022 White Coat Ceremony at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center.
The White Coat Ceremony, one of the most anticipated milestones in a pharmacist’s path, signified the end of orientation week and the beginning of the four-year journey of pharmacy school. The presentation of their own white coats, used to recognize health care professionals throughout the world, represents the next crucial stage of their education in which they will actively engage with patients and other professionals.
The Harrison College of Pharmacy is thankful to McKesson, a leading health care company for wholesale medical supplies and equipment, pharmaceutical distribution and health care technology solutions, for its support of the White Coat Ceremony.
At the Harrison College of Pharmacy, faculty members view student pharmacists as junior colleagues in the profession of pharmacy. Thus, the presentation of the white coat symbolizes their formal induction into the profession of pharmacy. While the students are still trainees, the event symbolizes their entry into the profession of pharmacy.
“The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic event in which members of the Class of 2026 are inducted into our profession as student pharmacists and junior colleagues,” said Dr. Paul Jungnickel, senior associate dean of the Harrison College of Pharmacy. “Today, they begin a journey that will culminate in their becoming health care professionals, full-fledged pharmacy colleagues and caregivers to their patients.”
The students arrived on Monday, August 8 and spent the week in orientation. Each day of orientation carried with it a central theme, such as teamwork, communication, advocacy, self-assessment, and mentoring. Students learned how each of these themes applied to their role as a pharmacist and their relationship with their patients.
The Class of 2026 is made up of 132 students with 118 on the Auburn campus and 14 on the Mobile campus. The group brings a diverse background to HCOP as the class is made up of students from 12 different states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington; and two foreign countries (Bahamas and India). Additionally, students come to Auburn from 40 different colleges and universities.
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Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top 25 percent of all pharmacy programs in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.) while also offering a master’s in pharmaceutical sciences. The College's commitment to world-class scholarship and interdisciplinary research speaks to Auburn's overarching Carnegie R1 designation that places Auburn among the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation. For more information about the School, please call 334.844.8348 or visit http://pharmacy.auburn.edu.