EDMONTON, AB, Jan. 27,
2023 /CNW/ - The din dies down in the conference
ballroom in downtown Edmonton this
past Thursday evening, as RxA President Mark Percy takes the stage. The room is packed
with 140 pharmacy students, their invited families, friends,
faculty members, and of course, alumni pharmacists. The Annual
White Coat Ceremony held every year by the Faculty of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of
Alberta, and co-sponsored by the Alberta Pharmacists'
Association (RxA) and the Alberta
College of Pharmacy, is an evening of recognition symbolizing the
next generation of graduating pharmacists and their inclusion into
the profession of pharmacy in Alberta.
"You represent the future of our profession. I encourage each of
you to remember three things as you begin your careers as young
pharmacists", begins Mark Percy.
"First, embrace learning and our culture of continued professional
learning, never stop learning. Second, engage your profession and
work to uphold the tenets of what it is to be a primary care
pharmacist in Alberta. And
finally, and most important, look after your patients. Use your
knowledge, skill, and ability to improve the lives of each person
you care for."
In just three short years, the Class of 2026 will join the
pharmacist workforce, many of them choosing to practice in
Alberta to take advantage of the
broadest scope of practice for community pharmacists anywhere in
Canada. They will graduate as
Doctors of Pharmacy, equipped with the most comprehensive clinical
drug knowledge, and enabled to implement their knowledge by
prescribing medications, administering drugs by injection, and
ordering and interpreting lab tests.
This is the future of pharmacist-led primary care in
Alberta. These are the clinical
practitioners who will be ready and waiting at your next visit to
your community pharmacy, helping to adjust your blood pressure
medication, administer your next vaccination, monitor your lab
results for your diabetes care, or use point of care testing to
identify and prescribe therapy for your child's strep throat. They
won't be replacing the need to see a family physician or nurse
practitioner, but they will be supporting and enhancing your access
to care, when you need it most, and where you want it in your local
community pharmacy.
RxA Board Member Aileen Jang also speaks to the Class of 2026 on
behalf of the pharmacist alumni, many of whom are in the audience.
Aileen shares "As we pass the torch to these new graduating
pharmacists, I am excited to see the potential our profession can
achieve. Nothing is impossible if you have the will and passion to
enact change."
The students are led through their Pledge of Professionalism and
also recite the profession's Code of Ethics as a commitment to the
profession and quality patient care. The evening culminates with
the draping of each student in their first white coat. As each of
the 140 pharmacy students crosses the stage, a member of the
profession helps them don their white coat as a symbol of their
entry to the practice of pharmacy, and to the broader community and
culture of the pharmacist profession. With healthcare in crisis,
and provincial/federal discussions occurring to restructure
healthcare funding in Canada, we
are pleased to be able to highlight this next generation of
pharmacists who will join the health workforce of the future,
helping Albertans to access primary care from their community
pharmacist and alleviating pressures across the health care
system.
Congratulations Class of 2026. The future of pharmacist practice
in Alberta is yours… and it is in
good hands.
For over two decades, the Alberta Pharmacists' Association
(RxA) has been a champion for pharmacists in Alberta. We play an integral role in expanding
pharmacists' practice, and we continue to advocate on their behalf
towards excellence in patient care.
Related Links
www.rxa.ca
SOURCE Alberta Pharmacists' Association