White Coat Ceremony

Yesterday was Gary's white coat ceremony and his birthday. So basically it was Gary day. Right after church we went to the white coat ceremony at the old paramount theater in Abilene. There were several speakers and then Gary got called up and cloaked in his coat and then he had to sign an oath and then the group as a whole took the oath of pharmacists. It was so awesome. He was the oldest and the tallest in his class. He was also the only one with lots of kids and he had the most degrees. I really think he is going to stand out among his peers. The Dr. putting the coat on him had a hard time. She kept saying "you are tall!!!" This seems to be common for Gary because when he was getting hood for his masters degree he almost had to get down on his knees so the advisor, who was a tiny lady, could get it over his head.


I was impressed by the whole learning environment in pharmacy school. It is not cut throat and competitive. It is more cooperative.The students don't compete with each other. People in the same class do everything together for the entire four years and usually become close. Gary is going to have so many great experiences.


The speakers talked about the history of pharmacy and the changes in it. In some ways it is as if the pharmacist has become the the one who builds relationships with the patient while the doctor is someone you see for five minutes once a year. In the early years of pharmacy the pharmacist didn't even communicate with the patient and now it is the pharmacists duty. They talked about the symbolism of the coat and how it symbolizes ethics and honor and education and professionalism. He has to wear the coat to school everyday. After the ceremony we caught up with Gary in the lobby and Ethan cried out "Daddy, why are you wearing a costume?" All the other students were there and they started laughing. The city of Abilene donated land and pulled off all kinds of miracles so that they could have a pharmacy school out here. I guess there is a push to have more pharmacists in the area because is a huge shortage in west Texas.


Maybe that is why we have felt the huge pull to move and make this major change and go into all this debt at a time in our lives when we should have been settling in with life and saving for retirement. Maybe there are certain people out there Gary needs to help.

Oath of Pharmacist

"I promise to devote myself to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy. In fulfilling this vow:

I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of human suffering my primary concerns.

I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes for my patients.

I will respect and protect all personal and health information entrusted to me.

I accept the lifelong obligation to improve my professional knowledge and competence.

I will hold myself and my colleagues to the highest principles of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.

I will embrace and advocate changes that will improve patient care.

I will utilize my knowledge, skills, experience, and values to fulfill my obligation to educate and train the next generation of pharmacists.

I take these vows voluntarily with the full realization of the responsibility with which I am entrusted by the public.

After the ceremony we went home and ate Gary's special birthday dinner and then blew out candles. We are so proud of Gary.