More than 120 new University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy students officially entered into the field of pharmacy Friday as they donned their white coats for the first time.

Pharmacy Dean Paul Larrat welcomed the students and their families in a packed Edwards Auditorium on Oct. 12, welcoming them to the profession. “A commencement is a beginning, and this is a commencement of sorts,” Dean Larrat said. “You are becoming a member of the campus, but more globally, you are becoming a member of the health care community.”

Three at a time, the 122 students in the Pharm.D Class of 2022 crossed the Edwards stage as faculty members helped them into their lab coats for the first time, before Professor Kelly Orr led them in the Oath of a Pharmacist. The oath reads:

“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 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 will accept the lifelong obligation to improve my professional knowledge and competence.
• I will hold myself and my colleagues to the highest principles of our profession’s moral, ethical and legal conduct.
• I will embrace and advocate changes that improve patient care.
• I will utilize my knowledge, skills, experiences, and values to prepare 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.”