Pharmacy students inducted with white coat ceremony

A sea of white coats flanked The University of Queensland’s Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE) as first-year students were welcomed at an official ceremony.

The School of Pharmacy hosted the annual Student Engagement Ceremony to welcome new students and present them with their white dispensing coat which is symbolic of the pharmacy profession.

Head of School Professor Nick Shaw said the purpose of the Ceremony was to welcome first-year students not only to the School of Pharmacy, but also to the profession as a whole.

“We see the Ceremony as our opportunity to provide new students with a sense of the history, pride, public service and professionalism that is pharmacy and highlight the responsibility and crucial role that pharmacists play in the healthcare of the community,” Professor Shaw said.

“We hope and trust the Ceremony gives students a sense of community, a sense of ‘being’ a professional, both as students and as health professionals in training.”

First year student Chloe Minns said the event helped the students feel engaged intheir learning and development as pharmacy professionals.

“The ceremony helped us hit the ground running, right from the beginning of thisfour year course we aren’t just reading books, we are learning how to behave and feel like pharmacists,” Chloe said.