With friends and family members looking on, 108 students proudly filed into Turner Auditorium Sunday afternoon, each carrying a white coat emblazoned with a Campbell University patch. “This coat is a symbol of your commitment to the pharmacy profession,” Dean Ronald Maddox appealed to the Campbell University School of Pharmacy Class of 2010. “The white coat conveys to all patients a sense of seriousness and purpose. It will also assure each patient that they will be dealt with in a competent and serious manner.” Selected from approximately 2,000 applicants, the new P1 students successfully navigated a rigorous application process — based on strong academic records, interviews and practical experience. Approximately half of the students were awarded Dean’s Scholarships and most have already been working in the pharmacy industry in some capacity. During their time at Campbell, students will be required to wear the white coat in all clinical situations. Though new students are issued short white coats, they will be allowed to wear a knee-length coat upon graduation. The white coat should serve as a symbol of pride and commitment to the high standards of the pharmacy profession, said keynote speaker Dr. Ed Herring. Dr. Herring, a 1995 graduate of the Campbell University School of Pharmacy, is President of the CU School of Pharmacy Alumni Association. He urged students to not only gain knowledge, but to share that knowledge with patients compassionately. “If your patients feel that you are not sincere or concerned, then your knowledge is worthless,” he said. For the last seven years, the Campbell University School of Pharmacy has reported a 100% passage rate for the NC Board exams. “We know when they cross the stage; they’re qualified to be pharmacists. So, we don’t worry too much about the performance on the exams. We assume that that’s going to take care of itself”, said Dr. Thomas Holmes, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “Now that we’re up to near 1,300 graduates, we have a substantial number of people that can lean on each other and network in the profession.” P1 student Maegan Lee of Dunn, says she’s excited to start her professional career here at Campbell. “I just think it has the best faculty, good student, teacher ratio. I’m most looking forward to just learning about the world of pharmacy.”Caption- The School of Pharmacy welcomed 108 students in the White Coat Ceremony held on Sunday afternoon. Each student wore a white coat emblazoned with a Campbell University patch.
CU School of Pharmacy welcomes 108 students in White Coat Ceremony