Photo Journey: White Coat Ceremony 2023
Celebrate this milestone for the class of 2024 with photos from the March 4th White Coat Ceremony
Story by Ryan McDaniel | Published March 7, 2023
The annual White Coat Ceremony is a rite of passage for students as they transition their training from the classroom to a more concentrated environment of clinical and experiential practice. The Class of 2024 recently gathered at Memorial Hall to celebrate this milestone – join us in congratulating the class and relive some of the happy memories from the 2023 White Coat Ceremony through pictures.
The faculty keynote speaker, chosen by the class, was Suzie Harris, PharmD, Associate Professor and Director of Well-Being and Resilience. She challenged the students to focus on the concept of Three Good Things. The concept is usually to name three good things in your life as an exercise to enhance one’s own well-being, but Suzie reframed it to come from the patient’s perspective of three good things they should expect from their pharmacist.
“If I was a patient and you were my pharmacist . . . I would want you to commit to . . . 1) respect and protect information I entrust in you, 2) improve your professional knowledge for the benefit of advancing your care for me, and 3) be inclusive and curious in your interactions with me as your patient and do not allow assumptions of my personal and social identities to intervene between your duty and me as your patient,” she implored.
Suzie also encouraged students to enjoy the moment. “I asked a few soon-to-be graduating pharmacy students who were in your shoes one year ago to reflect on what the White Coat Ceremony symbolized for them,” she explained. With their permission, she shared their reflections, which Carolina Pharmacy is happy to share here as well:
“It was very gratifying in the fact that it felt like the large amount of work we had put in prior to even starting 4th year rotations was being acknowledged for the feat that it was. It gave me the boost of confidence I needed to feel like I was ready to take on and find success in my [rotations],” shared Kendra Gee-Rodriguez.
Another student, Kaitlyn Tenn, said, “White coat ceremony was also a time for me to share my accomplishments with my family. My parents and grandparents came to this country with the goal that they would provide the next generation with more opportunities than they had. As much as this experience was about my accomplishments, it was also a celebration of their accomplishments, knowing that they had gone above and beyond in exceeding this goal as I put on my white coat for the first time — something that no one in my family has done before . . . I was very proud to share this moment with them as well.”
Many families joined the students in celebrating this occasion. The atmosphere outside Memorial Hall was celebratory as students hugged their loved ones and posed for photos with the brightest of smiles on their faces. All were following Suzie’s advice: “as you venture onto this next chapter, relish in this momentous win.”
To see all students as they are coated, click here to watch a short video.