Welcoming Our New Students with Support from the Start

At the start of August (well actually July 31) we welcomed a new cohort of 3-Year PharmD Students, our first ever cohort of 5-Year PharmD Students and Stand-alone MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences students! 

We kicked off the start of the semester with a completely re-vamped orientation week. We all realize how exciting the start of pharmacy school can be, but we also know all the new information can be quite overwhelming. This year, we wanted to be sure to capture the excitement everyone experiences on this first day and carry that throughout the first week (if not the full year)!

In order to make this lasting impact, we focused on allowing our new students to meet and truly get to know one another. Much of the week was focused on connections and getting opportunities to learn about each other as individuals, as well as getting the inside scoop about what they could expect for the upcoming semester.

We also had a friendly competitive scavenger hunt competition, where students got to explore the College of Health Professions campus and the downtown Hillsboro community. Our friendly competition resulted in two 1st place teams who were awarded Starbucks gift cards that they could use for a caffeine fix once classes began the following week. On Friday of orientation week, our new students joined our P2 students on the beautiful Forest Grove campus for an outdoor team building experience, where laughter and fun was had by all while enjoying some summer sunshine. Over lunch our new students were further able to engage and chat with P2 students, along with their faculty mentors. 

Giving the students an opportunity to initially meet with their faculty mentors was important. They will be checking in with their faculty mentors at least two times per semester, as part of our Personal & Professional Development course series, which helps support students on their journey to academic success, as well as begin to think about and explore their career goals. We were very lucky to have the financial support of CVS Health and TinRx, which provided lunch for our students throughout orientation week, ensuring they felt at home as they settled into their new lives as students of the School of Pharmacy.

Orientation week was capped off on Saturday morning with our annual White Coat Ceremony. Students were joined by their loved ones on the Forest Grove campus (and virtually) to celebrate this key milestone.

We had the privilege of having Dr. Jenny Coyle, President of Pacific University welcome our students as future health care providers, in addition to having the executive director for the Oregon Board of Pharmacy welcome them to the pharmacy profession. Dr. C’rel McCallister from Walgreens Co, our proud sponsor of the White Coat Ceremony led our students in their pledge of professionalism before hearing some words of wisdom from our P2 and P3 student leadership.

Faculty, staff, students and their families enjoyed the beautiful weather on the patio with a wonderful breakfast reception. Overall, this was a momentous week for our new students and one they surely will not forget as they forge ahead on their journey to becoming pharmacists!

~ Brandon Nuziale, PharmD, BCACP
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Associate Professor & PGY-2 Residency Program Coordinator