The TTUHSC School of Pharmacy welcomed the Class of 2020 at the annual White Coat Ceremony in Abilene (Aug. 7) and Amarillo (Aug. 14). The incoming students received their traditional white pharmacy coats, recited the Oath of a Pharmacist for the first time and signed the Pharmacist Code of Conduct.

The event is part of the annual orientation period that prepares incoming School of Pharmacy students for their first year of classes and provides them with an overview of the school’s four-year doctor of pharmacy program.

As a universally recognized symbol of health care, the pharmacy white coat encompasses all aspects of pharmacy and the delivery of pharmaceutical care. For incoming students, receiving the white coat is a reminder of the commitment they are making to an honorable and trusted profession.

The White Coat Ceremony is also the first time each incoming student recites the Oath of a Pharmacist, which is based upon the Oath of Maimonides and was adopted by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in 1983. 

The Pharmacist Code of Conduct defines the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists and forms the basis for student conduct when they interact with patients and colleagues during their years in the TTUHSC pharmacy program and after they graduate and enter the profession.