Every ceremony is unique, as each school adds their own special sense of place, history, and culture. Yet there are consistent elements for this ceremony that highlight the importance of humanistic patient care from the beginning of the clinician’s journey, featured in the list below.
Recite Oath: The oath is the central component of the ceremony and students read or recite it together. Schools select an oath that includes a commitment to humanistic patient care, based on their own tradition. They may be traditional or student- or faculty-written, and it is typically the same oath recited at commencement. Following are examples of other ways schools have incorporated the oath around the ceremony:
- Students are prompted to write a personal oath based on reflection about how they will serve as a clinician, that is then read to others.
- Students write a class creed together during orientation and read it during the ceremony.
- Provide a laminated copy of the oath that can be hung from the lanyard as a tangible daily touchstone.
- Some schools print a large version of the oath that everyone signs and it is hung in a prominent/central location within the school, for at least the duration of the school year.
Ideas from other schools’ ceremonies:
- Featuring remarks from senior pharmacy students
- Delivering a handwritten welcome note from the donor of the white coat to the incoming student who is receiving it
- Giving a Narcan kit to each student to help reverse an opioid overdose
- Schools may also ask students to reflect on compassionate, collaborative, and scientifically excellent care through writing, discussions, or other initiatives during orientation or days leading up to the ceremony.
Keynote speaker: When selecting a keynote speaker for the ceremony, consider that being a successful, prominent pharmacy leader also entails embodying the values of compassionate and collaborative care, alongside having achieved technical prowess and professional success. Inviting a leader who embodies such values and inviting them to speak on a related topic is a critical way to impart the importance of humanistic healthcare to the students.
Timing during training: It is important to hold this ritual at the start or early in pharmacy education, in order to demonstrate the significance of humanism early in training and professional identity formation.
Pins: The Gold Foundation offers “Keeping Healthcare Human” lapel pins to be given to each pharmacy student at the ceremony. Thanks to our supporters, we provide these pins without cost to pharmacy schools. School administrators can request pins using our online form at least 30 days in advance of the ceremony date.
Please remember to acknowledge The Arnold P. Gold Foundation for the pins in your ceremony program, and we encourage you to include a brief statement about the background and significance of this ritual in your ceremony program.
