Current Students, General Interest, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

“What’s in your bag?” Pharmacy Student Edition

UBC Pharm Sci Student Ambassadors

UBC Pharm Sci Student Ambassadors

There’s no doubt that our pharmacy students spend a lot of time on campus, often relying on what’s packed in their bag to help them get through the day. We asked our Pharm Sci student ambassadors: what’s in your bag that you can’t go a day without? Here’s what they had to say:

Lisa: “Fingerless gloves are a staple for me during the winter months. They’re extremely useful when you require the finger dexterity to type notes or use a touch screen. Also, instant coffee or tea bags provide that caffeine boost necessary to stay awake at a Monday morning lecture or a late night studying session. As the weather gets gloomier, it’s more convenient to come prepared so that I don’t have to trek outdoors in search of a hot drink.”

John: “I can’t go without my copy of the RxFiles. It’s an extremely handy resource that allows you to look up the treatments and management of disease states in a pinch. It provides tons of information in a compact manner, and even provides evidence and citations from major randomized controlled trials.”

Melina: “The two things I can’t live without in my school bag are my lip balm and calendar. I really can’t stand dry lips because it’s so uncomfortable and just drives me nuts. My calendar basically has my life in it. I have all my exams, meetings, events and appointments in there.”

Alex: “Napkins. When it comes to eating I’m a bit of a slob, so having a few close-by during lectures really pays off. Whether it be for wiping spills or a runny nose, napkins are essential. Also, Fluxx. It’s a small card game I pull out whenever I have a break between classes. It’s a fun game with rules that keep changing. Somehow, I find peace within this chaotic game.”


Questions for our student ambassadors? Leave a comment below or on Facebook.

 

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Advice, Current Students, General Interest, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Practical Advice for Perfectionists: Creating a Healthier Work Ethic

Happy New Year everyone! It’s time to focus on your studies again. Rather than talking about setting a New Year’s goal, I would like to talk to students who have a habit of setting sky high goals, and are continually adding to the long list of achievements they would like to accomplish.

Students in IKB

Students in the UBC Irving K Barber Learning Centre. Image credit: Martin Dee / UBC Communications & Marketing.

This blog post is for students that fall into the perfectionist category, and chances are you can identify if you fall into that category even a little. I spoke with Rachel Vella-Zarb and Alex Daros from UBC Counselling Services to find out more about perfectionism and how we can move towards a healthier work ethic.

What are some characteristics or habits of a perfectionist?
Whether we are aware of it or not, we all evaluate how worthwhile we think we are as person based on some kind of personal evaluation system. We may think we are a worthwhile person if we are kind or helpful, we may think we are worthwhile if we are attractive or thin, we may think we are worthwhile if we have a good job or make a significant amount of money.

In perfectionism, self-worth is based largely on achievement or performance. Perfectionism involves setting excessively high personal standards and striving to meet them at all costs. Along with these high standards, perfectionists often don’t take into account that setbacks and mistakes are normal and a part of learning. They may also have difficulty when emotions and motivation fluctuate. When standards are not met, perfectionists become highly self-critical. This then pushes them to set even higher standards or avoid trying entirely. When standards are (temporarily) met, perfectionists often experience minimal satisfaction from these achievements. Instead, meeting their goal is often dismissed as meaning the goal was “too easy,” and higher standards are then set.

What are some characteristics or habits of someone with a healthy work ethic?
When it comes to a “healthy pursuit of excellence” as opposed to perfectionism, self-worth is based on several different factors, not just performance. For example, achievement may be very important to someone but it may also important to them to be a good sister, friend, or daughter. When high standards are set, they are high but not objectively excessively high.

If standards are met, that person takes pride and satisfaction in this accomplishment by celebrating their success. If standards are not met, the person considers what went wrong and revises their goals or problem solves for next time. A healthy mindset means accepting that mistakes and even failures are possible and we can learn from these moments. A healthy work ethic means aiming for “very good,” not flawless. It also means distributing time and energy across different areas of importance, not putting it all into work. It involves recognizing that it’s normal for emotions to fluctuate and it is important to take care of oneself during stressful times.

What are some reasons a person may be a perfectionist?
Some people are more perfectionistic than others for a variety of reasons. It may be in part due to genetics, and in part due to learning from others (e.g., parents, teachers, siblings). Many people who are perfectionistic have been rewarded for their efforts and achievements and therefore place emphasis on this area of their life. They may have learned to set high goals and work towards them but find that over time, their standards become higher and higher and self-criticism becomes more and more demanding to the point where it is not helpful and instead causes problems. Over time, perfectionism is maintained by rigid standards, emphasis on achievement, discounting successes, overemphasizing setbacks, and frequent negative self-evaluation and self-criticism.

How can we move from perfectionism to a more healthy work ethic?
Perfectionists are often reluctant to make changes because they fear “lowering their standards.” Changing perfectionism is not about lowering standards, but rather it is about considering ways that achievement can be better met and considering whether it’s helpful to base self-worth so heavily on achievement. Many people believe that the harder you work, the better you do; actually, research indicates that that with too much effort, performance tails off or doesn’t get incrementally better.

People who want to adjust their perfectionistic behaviours may want to work on two main areas: (1) their thoughts or self-talk and (2) their behaviours. From a cognitive perspective, you can begin by talking to yourself as if you were a good coach. A good coach doesn’t offer constant criticism or set higher and higher goals, rather a good coach offers positive feedback and constructive suggestions. When you catch yourself setting high standards or evaluating yourself negatively, you can ask “are these expectations reasonable given the circumstances?” “what are the costs and benefits of pursuing this goal in this way?” and “what would I say to someone I was mentoring or coaching if they felt this way?”

Another strategy is to be mindful of what’s going well in your life, as perfectionists often tend to discount successes. One way to challenge this attitude is to keep track of three good things per day (big or small). Keep these good things recorded on a piece of paper and continue to follow-up by adding new things each day. This can become a good motivational piece when displayed in your office or where you study.

From a behavioural perspective, you can begin to look at some of the behaviours that maintain perfectionism, for example over-preparing, re-reading, repeated checking, or excessive planning. Once you’ve identified these areas, you can try some behavioural experiments where you work for one week at your current level of effort, and then one week at 80% effort, and compare the outcomes. For example, if you notice that you tend to re-read emails at least three times to scan them for errors before sending them, try doing this for one week and record the outcomes (i.e., how many mistakes you make that others notice and how many mistakes you make that have significant outcomes). Then spend the next week re-reading emails once and note the same outcomes. Figuring out how to cut back time spent on lower priority tasks is an important part of being efficient.

For some additional work on perfectionism, check out the following book recommendations:

Antony, M.M., & Swinson, R. (2009). When perfect isn’t good enough: Strategies for coping with perfectionism (2nd edition). New Harbinger Publications.

Ben-Shahar, T. (2010). Being happy: you don’t have to be perfect to lead a richer, happier life. McGraw-Hill.

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If this blog post resonates with you, why not give some of these suggestions a try this year! After reading through Rachel and Alex’s advice, I think it would be helpful to write down your thought patterns about grades and studying, and also write down what your goals are in school and extracurricular involvement. Once you’ve written your goals and thought patterns, you can experiment with what a reasonable goal could be. You can also identify your common thought patterns, making it easier to see them creep up while studying.

What would happen if you studied and worked on assignments without the sky-high goals? Experimenting with ways to move into a healthier work ethic can help you in your studying, career, and personal life for years to come.

Wishing you all ease and happiness in 2017!

Karie Hanson. Karie is the Program Advisor and Manager for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta, and graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation, Sport and Tourism. Outside of work, Karie enjoys playing baseball, basketball, walking the seawall, and volunteering with older adults.

If you feel that you need some additional support and would like to speak with a counsellor, you can visit UBC Counselling Services during their drop-in hours to meet with a Wellness Advisor. There are two Counselling Services locations on campus, and you can find their contact information, drop-in hours, and general information here.

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Advice, Current Students, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Best Places to Eat on Campus

Whether you’re grabbing a quick bite to eat in between classes or foraging for study fuel, these food options will be sure to appease that growling stomach.

Within five minutes of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building:

When time is of the essence, Daily Dose (a UBC Food Services café) and Starbucks at UBC Tech are the go-to’s for a quick samosa or scone. Especially with the new mobile order system, it’s possible to run to and from Starbucks in the ten-minute break between lectures.

15-30 minutes to spare?

UBC Village is probably the best option in terms of variety and price. The basement food court serves Japanese, Chinese and Mediterranean food as well as pho and Mongolian barbecue. Upstairs, Running Chicken provides a range of traditional Korean food (i.e. bulgogi, bibimbap) as well as Korean−style fried chicken. It’s a good place to sit down with friends and chat over some Passion Chicken and beer although they also provide takeout. Another find is Only U Café which serves all day breakfast as well as a selection of different hot and cold sandwiches and entrees. My guilty pleasure is visiting in the afternoon to enjoy their bacon and avocado eggs benedict!

The Delly at the AMS Nest: This place has all of your basic breakfast and lunch options with wraps, baked goods and salads to munch on. Best of all, you can order your own customized sandwiches. Healthy food AND an incentive to get outside of the Pharmaceutical Sciences building for some exercise and fresh air.

One hour break?

Head south down to Wesbrook Village for a bowl of savoury Taiwanese beef noodle from Chef Hung’s. With multiple customization options for the noodles, soup and meat or vegetables, there is something available for every stomach. Or, wander over to the Doughgirls Comfort Kitchen and Bakeshop to indulge in a french almond croissant or a shepherd’s pie straight from the oven. Their menu changes seasonally and is always packed with tempting baked goods, homemade jams, and hot comfort foods.

— Lisa Wang


Lisa Wang is a second year student in the Entry-to-Practice PharmD program. Lisa is a member of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. She can also be found designing pages for the faculty yearbook, planning top secret Skits Night scenes, or leading tours for Open House events. Outside of Pharm Sci, Lisa participates in research and plays in a string quartet. 

Lisa is a member of the new Faculty Student Ambassador Program. Questions for Lisa? Leave a comment here or on Facebook.

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Advice, Current Students, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Mark Your Calendars: What To Do In Your First Few Weeks

There are plenty of UBC Pharm Sci events and clubs to join, especially in the first few weeks of class. It can get a little overwhelming! Not to worry, our Faculty Student Ambassador and second-year student, Alex Assumption, is here to help.

Great Pharmacy Adventure

Great Pharmacy Adventure

GPA (The Great Pharmacy Adventure)
9 a.m., September 4, 2016

GPA Day hosted by the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society (PhUS). Incoming students are grouped together to compete in a scavenger hunt riddled with hilarious games to play and crafty puzzles to solve. It’s an amazing opportunity for first-years to put themselves out there and connect with each other so that the first day of classes doesn’t feel so daunting. Plus, with tons of giveaways and free food, how can you go wrong?

Shoppers Drug Mart Welcome Back BBQ
12 p.m., September 9, 2016

What’s the best way to enjoy the last few days of summer and sunshine? By having a BBQ! The Welcome Back BBQ is held on the first Friday of every academic year to give students the opportunity to relax and catch-up on summer stories after a hectic first week of orientation and course overview. Shoppers Drug Mart staff cook up delicious burgers and share their advice for pharmacy students.

Pharmacy Clubs Night
5:30 p.m., September 13, 2016

If you’re thinking about getting involved with a pharmacy-related club but have no idea where to start, Clubs Night is for you. Pharmacy offers so many unique clubs and programs that you are bound to find one that you are passionate about. From the Pharmacy Evidence Appraisal Club to the Pharmacy Vocal Ensemble, our faculty has it all. Oh, and the night concludes with a pizza dinner hosted by PhUS (see the pattern here?).

Peer Mentorship Kick-Off
5:30 p.m., September 14, 2016

The Peer Mentorship Program was developed with the goal of facilitating first-year students’ transition into the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, as well as providing students with a support network spanning across all pharmacy classes. To do this, two or three first-year students will be paired with a mentor from an upper year. These mentors can answer and burning questions and share their insight and experiences with their “mentees”. When I was a mentee in the program last year, advice from upper years was incredibly helpful for me. The Kick-Off event allows first-years to be introduced to their mentors, interact with other classmates, and to form a foundation for a lasting friendship.

Great Pharmacy Adventure

Great Pharmacy Adventure

PhUS Student-Led Campus Tours
3:30 p.m., September 16, 2016

With the UBC campus spanning almost 1,000 acres, it can be overwhelming trying to see it all! PhUS has put together an entertaining walking tour that highlights the major attractions and student hubs UBC offers, including the Museum of Anthropology, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Wreck Beach, and the AMS Nest. They’ll also show you the cheapest places to get food and groceries on campus!

More events on the PhUS Interclub Calendar. See you in September!


Alex Assumption is a second year student in the Entry-to-Practice PharmD Program. Alex is committed to helping fellow students in their personal and professional improvement and is a member of the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society and the Peer Mentorship Program. When Alex isn’t studying or working with student clubs, he’s usually watching House or Prison Break on Netflix and searching for new music. What makes Alex’s day? The Earth’s rotation around the Sun!

Alex is a member of the new Faculty Student Ambassador Program. Questions for Alex? Leave a comment here or on Facebook.

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Advice, Current Students, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Guest Post: Advice for First-Year UBC Pharm Sci Students

Welcome to our Back to School Blog Series! This week, two of our second year Entry-to-Practice PharmD students, Alex Assumption and Lisa Wang, are sharing their personal advice and tips for new UBC Pharm Sci students.

New Entry-to-Practice PharmD students on the first day of school in 2015

New Entry-to-Practice PharmD students on the first day of school in 2015

“As the first day of pharmacy school approaches, you might be scrambling to understand why you’re applying for another student loan just to buy textbooks and a stethoscope. Don’t feel like you’re the only one going through this. I remember the night before the first day of classes was filled with anxiety and excitement. I was frantically refreshing UBC Connect and re-reading the syllabus, searching for some small tidbit of information that would give me a revelation of what this program was all about. Although I didn’t find it that night, I hope I can pass down to you, Class of 2020, some knowledge to make this transition smoother.

To start off, don’t feel as if you’re alone in this journey. The Faculty understands that transferring into a program like this is a major leap and have provided tools to for you to adjust to it. For example, the Peer Mentorship Program and Faculty Liaison Program matches first-year students up with professors and upper year students that can answer any questions you might have. There are tons of events that allow students to connect with clubs and each other. Where is all of this info? Facebook. This is the one time in this program someone will tell you that using Facebook frequently is a good thing. The UBC Pharmacy Class of 2020 is group not affiliated with the Faculty, but used by students in your year and other clubs to promote events in the faculty or pose questions which others could answer. Notifications from this group can help you keep you on top of things.

One thing that I personally had to get used was the class dynamic. In September, you’ll be greeted by over 200 new faces, which can be a lot for some. When doing my undergrad, I didn’t make many new friends during lectures and tended to keep to myself, mainly because everybody would quickly scatter as soon as the lecture ended and I probably wouldn’t have the chance to sit beside them again. That’s not the case with this program. In our first year, we as a class spent around 16 hours a week together for lectures alone. Over time, faces become more familiar and you have the opportunity to build long lasting friendships that extend farther than asking, “Hey, how do you do question 4 on the Connect quiz?” Although your class will be large, it’ll also be tight-knit in no time.

First day of school, 2015

First day of school, 2015

Lastly, try to stay physically healthy. This was one of my biggest struggles throughout the year and, although I don’t have all the answers, here are some tips. You can start off by eating healthy. Whenever I thought about “eating healthy”, I imagined cooking every day, something I didn’t have the time to do. So what the best thing to pack for lunch/dinner? SALAD. Think about it – it’s super easy and cheap to transfer a huge handful of leaves from a big container to a smaller container. Also, the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society offers discount for sports teams that want to register for UBC Intramurals and organizes events like Dodgeball night and Sports night.”

— Alex Assumption


“Be professional: You will hear this again and again from the faculty but it doesn’t hurt to start early.

  • This may seem like a no-brainer but don’t be late for lectures or Integrated Activities. Not only is it disrespectful towards the instructors, staff and your peers but there are consequences. Nobody likes extra work on top of their usual homework load.
  • Please respect your classmates by not chatting loudly outside lecture hall doors while other classes are in session. Similarly, prevent stampedes by leaving enough space for classes to exit before rushing in.
Student receiving white coat at 2015 White Coat Ceremony.

Student receiving white coat at 2015 White Coat Ceremony.

Lectures:

  • One of the greatest things about lectures in the Pharmacy building is that they are Lecture Captured (audio and video recorded). However, be smart about using this tool and don’t let it give you that false sense of security that skipping a class is a good idea, even if it is to study for another class. (Some lecture videos may not be uploaded until after an assessment).
  • Another aspect to be aware of is the module format of learning: 1) there is greater emphasis on certain fields of knowledge in shorter periods of time, 2) everything you learn is integrated together. I found this change the most challenging to adapt to. Perhaps you were able to “cram study” for a midterm before. Now, it will be twice as much material in a shorter learning time frame. A difficult feat no matter how much caffeine you intake. In brief, now may be a good time to re-evaluate your study habits and explore new studying methods.
Lecture theatre in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

Lecture theatre in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

Here are a few study tips:

  • Quizlet is great for memorizing FDL drugs, RDM functional groups, and antibiotics
  • Use note taking apps such as Evernote where you can organize folders of notes, add Word and PDF documents, images, charts, and even audio
  • If the instructor states that all the testable material is on the PowerPoint slides, why not try closing your laptop and just sit and listen
  • If you must take notes, annotating on the PowerPoint slides whether on paper or digitally will help you better integrate the material in your mind than just typing verbatim what the instructor states. (For anyone who’s interested, the Freakonomics podcast episode “Who Needs Handwriting?” gives a good argument for this)
  • Group study. Once I had an idea of the topic, I found group practice helpful in solidifying my understanding and filling in the gaps. One example was from when we learned how to take verbal prescriptions on the phone: my classmate and I would randomly call each other throughout the week and role play through fake verbal prescriptions.

I hope these topics and tips help you with your exciting journey ahead. I’ll leave you with a couple words of wisdom from our very own David Massaro:

‘If someone tells you you’re not capable of something, nod respectfully, but don’t believe them. Stick with the people that help you grow, and reciprocate.'” 

— Lisa Wang


Alex is a second year student in the Entry-to-Practice PharmD Program. Alex is committed to helping fellow students in their personal and professional improvement and is a member of the Pharmacy Undergraduate Society and the Peer Mentorship Program. When Alex isn’t studying or working with student clubs, he’s usually watching House or Prison Break on Netflix and searching for new music. What makes Alex’s day? The Earth’s rotation around the Sun!

Lisa is a second year student in the Entry-to-Practice PharmD program. Lisa is a member of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. She can also be found designing pages for the faculty yearbook, planning top secret Skits Night scenes, or leading tours for Open House events. Outside of Pharm Sci, Lisa participates in research and plays in a string quartet.

Alex and Lisa are members of the new Faculty Student Ambassador Program. Questions for Alex and Lisa? Leave a comment here or on Facebook.

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Current Students, General Interest, Interviews, Life at UBC Pharm Sci, Prospective Students

UBC Pharm Sci Student Talks: Episode 4, feat. Alex Assumption

We’re bringing back our Student Talks video series!

Last month we sat down for a chat with first-year Entry-to-Practice PharmD student, Alex Assumption, to learn more about his experiences with the program to date.

Previous Episodes:

Episode 1, feat. Aaron Sihota
Episode 2, feat. Renee Dagenais
Episode 3, feat. Joshua Quisias


Interested in joining us here at UBC Pharm Sci? Learn more about our programs.

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Advice, Current Students, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Message from the Associate Dean, Academic: Having a Voice Makes a Difference

Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger

Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger

In a blog post just before the holiday season, and after the craziness of the exam period, I want to take the opportunity to wish you all the best for the holiday season and hope you have a relaxing break before 2016 is upon us.

For this blog post I wanted to focus on giving feedback to the Academic Portfolio and getting feedback from the portfolio. You’ve already been asked to give your opinions about your instructors and courses and we thank you for your participation. I want to stress how important this is for the all our academic offerings including the BSc (Pharm), E2P PharmD and Grad PharmD programs.

These surveys are important for us to gather information about how students experience each program and they provide a unique perspective for our planning and ongoing quality continuous improvement. As I’ve said many times, students are the only group that experiences every aspect of an educational program. Faculty and staff see only parts of the whole – a lecture, session, course or year – but not in the way that you experience it.

And we need a variety of voices. Getting enough students to complete the survey is also important to understand how to target what changes we need to make and what we should keep the same. Everyone will potentially have a different way of looking at things and we value understanding all of those perspectives.

Over this last term we launched five different survey types which included: Student Evaluation of Teaching (SEoT) and Course Evaluation (CE) surveys for both the BSc(Pharm) and PharmD programs; and the PharmD Orientation, Study Habits and Module Evaluation surveys for the PharmD program.

For the BSc(Pharm) program we launched 24 surveys last term (16 SEoTs and 8 CEs). For core courses we had a 19% response rate; up from 9% last year. This is definitely an improvement but we want to see this closer to the UBC average (~25-30%). Response rates for our elective courses in the BSc program was 73%; similar to previous years. Great job! For the PharmD we administered four SEoT surveys in PHRM 100 with response rates at 48%. In addition to the teaching evaluations we launched four module evaluations (ME) surveys to get feedback on all the modules in PHRM 100. Response rates on closed ME surveys was 72% and overall 43% for both open and closed surveys to date. Again great job!

But you might ask … how does this make a difference to me and how will I know? The Academic Portfolio, which includes myself, Program Directors, Course and Year Coordinators, program staff, etc., has made a commitment to “close the loop”. Once we have your input, we are committed to providing you an overview of the student feedback we’ve received and how we are taking action where we need to. Through the student pipeline and our Connect sites, we will be communicating back to you in the new year. This feedback is meant to help you understand how your feedback is being used and this will also help us be accountable to our promise of continuous quality improvement, which has always been a foundational goal of our Academic Portfolio. As I wrote at the beginning of this blog … having a voice does (and will) make a difference!

Again I want to wish you and your family a fantastic holiday season and look forward to rejoining everyone in 2016 for more academic adventures.

Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger
Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Academic

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Advice, Current Students, Interviews, Prospective Students

Pathways in Pharmacy #2: Curt Fowkes, BSc(Pharm)’08

Pathways in Pharmacy is an ongoing series where we’ll learn about different career journeys that began with a pharmacy degree. This month, Curt Fowkes tells us about his journey from the University of Alberta, to UBC, through to a hospital residency and ICU work with Northern Health, before finding his path back into community pharmacy.

Curt Fowkes

JK: Why did you choose pharmacy as a profession?

CF: Well, we’re thinking back a while ago! I grew up in Quesnel, just south of Prince George. I knew a pharmacist when I was in high school there and spent some time job shadowing with him. He was very passionate about what he did and his mentorship is what initially got me interested. He worked with another pharmacist who had completed a hospital pharmacy residency. He also had experiences to share that showed me there was a lot more to offer from the degree than I had realized.

Quesnel is a pretty small community where everybody knows everybody, and I saw the impact that these pharmacists were having on the lives of people that I knew. I also felt that becoming a pharmacist would provide job security for my own future.

Curt Fowkes 3

JK: And how did you come to UBC Pharm Sci then?

CF: After high school I went to the University of Alberta, intent on attending their school of pharmacy. But after a couple of years away from home, I wanted to move back to BC. My sister was already in the pharmacy program at UBC, my brother had just finished school at UBC and was still living in Vancouver, and we had spent a lot of time at UBC growing up as my parents were both UBC graduates.

JK: What was the best thing about UBC for you? 

CF: Well as my parents had been to UBC, we had made lots of trips there while I was growing up, so I was familiar with the campus. My parents were down in Vancouver a lot visiting, so I had lots of family around. It didn’t hurt that Whistler is nearby with great skiing!

JK: Did you move to Prince George right after graduation?

CF: Yup. I had applied for the hospital pharmacy residency program about halfway through my fourth year. Before the residency results came back I started thinking that perhaps the hospital pharmacy wasn’t for me – but after interviewing with each of the health authorities for a spot in their residency program I decided that it was probably a case of now or never for the extra experience. My sister was accepted into the UBC PharmD program and I thought that down the road that might be something I was interested in as well.

I decided to go with the residency program through Northern Health mainly because it was based out of Prince George and had close proximity to my hometown… and many ski hills! I grew up in this area so it was an easy transition back.

Curt Fowkes 2

JK: So what happened after your residency?

CF: Afterwards, I continued to work for Northern Health. At the time, they presented me with an excellent opportunity to work as a full time clinical pharmacist in their ICU. I stayed in that role for a few years, but the job gradually expanded into other areas and I began to miss a lot of the interaction I’d previously had with patients in the community.

Throughout my residency, and after, I had worked for a couple of pharmacists who owned two independent pharmacies in town. Their pharmacies had a huge range of variations to the services they provided, and had been locally owned in the community for forty years. I had always appreciated their practice, and how close they were with all of their patients. This is largely what led me to leave the hospital and work with them full time.

I worked hard for them for three or four years, allowing myself to be mentored in the business aspects of pharmacy, and the value of patient-pharmacist interactions. I did my best to build a clinical practice for myself in their stores, and gradually my role grew.

This summer a great opportunity came up where another local independent pharmacy owner was retiring, and I partnered with these new mentors of mine to purchase his pharmacy as an equal shareholder.

JK: That’s great! It sounds like a big part of the appeal of being a pharmacist is being a part of the community and getting to know people. Do you feel that’s how things have turned out for you?

CF: Yes, I think a huge part of our job as pharmacists is getting to know people. There is so much focus in school on theory and how to treat conditions, and manage them best for people, but you can’t do that as effectively without having a good relationship with the patient. It’s essential for people to receive good care, and have somebody that they can go to and talk to. I’m so glad I did the hospital residency because I definitely find that I am still incorporating clinical functions that I learned in my residency into my everyday practice. I also got to know a lot of physicians in town here and have built good relationships with them. This really helps me to advocate on behalf of my patients and make a difference for them.

JK: If you could go back to your pharmacy school self, what advice would you give to him?

CF: Keep your eyes open! You never know what kind of opportunities are going to come along your way, how life is going to change, or what you might come across. I think it’s good to gain any experience that you can. Keep your eyes open, look for opportunities to expand your knowledge, and think outside the box.


Any questions for Curt? Leave them in the comments or on Facebook.

Read Pathways in Pharmacy #1 with Mark Kunzli.

Learn more about our programs here.

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Current Students, General Interest, Prospective Students

Discovering the Origins of and Meaning Behind the White Coat

Our Director of Communications & Marketing, Jimi Galvão, was curious to learn more about why pharmacists wear white coats. He set out to learn more about the origins of and meaning behind the white coat. Here’s what he learned…

Students at the 2004 White Coat Ceremony.

Students at the 2004 White Coat Ceremony.

Each year, the Faculty celebrates incoming classes with an event that centres on an important article of clothing for pharmacists and health care professionals the world over: the white coat.

The White Coat Ceremony is an event that brings first year students together to take part in the recital of and reflection on the Faculty’s Pledge of Professionalism, an oath that outlines core values and commitments expected of each pharmacy student relating to patient care and ethical practice. White coats are presented to the students before they recite the pledge, and the act of receiving one symbolizes their acceptance into the ranks of not only the Faculty but the profession of pharmacy as a whole.

Having been with the Faculty for almost five years now, I’ve had the pleasure of being present at many of these ceremonies. And it’s always great to see the pride beaming from the faces of our students and their families. But something struck me as I started thinking about this year’s event. I knew very little about the origins of and meaning behind white coats. When were they first worn? Why are they white and not another colour? Did doctors wear them first? My curiosity sent me on a quest to learn more.

Students receiving white coats at the 2005 White Coat Ceremony.

Students receiving white coats at the 2005 White Coat Ceremony.

Origins

When I Googled “white coat” I was amazed at how many hits appeared (more than 58 million). And almost as many hits (more than 52 million) appeared when I searched for “history of the white coat.” In general, the white coat originated in the field of medicine and didn’t turn up until the late 1800s. Before being worn by doctors, white coats weren’t white at all. They were beige and covered the arms and torsos of scientists working in labs. When physicians adopted them as part of their professional attire, they were black. According to Andre Picard, author of “Why do physicians wear white lab coats?,” physicians “dressed in black to reflect the sombre nature of their work.” Dr. Mark S. Hochberg, author of “The Doctor’s White Coat–an Historical Perspective,” offers another possibility. He explains that “until the late 19th century seeking medical advice was usually a last resort and frequently a precursor to death.”

Black was replaced in the late 19th century when physicians began incorporating science into their practice, which resulted in advances in the efficacy and reputation of medicine overall. The changes brought about the demise of hospitals being associated with death and despair as recovery rates for patients increased. The revolutionary new direction for medicine called for a new look and the colour white, with its various positive meanings and connotations, was chosen for that look.

Students on stage at the Chan Centre receiving their white coats at the 2012 White Coat Ceremony.

Students on stage at the Chan Centre receiving their white coats at the 2012 White Coat Ceremony.

Meanings

White has many meanings, but several key connotations include purity, cleanliness, light, hope, safety and goodness. Valerie A. Jones, author of “The White Coat: Why not Follow Suit?,” adds that the colour white also “symbolizes seriousness of purpose” and explains that the white coat “serves as a symbolic barrier that maintains the professional distance between physician and patient.” Jones goes on to say that it is “a cloak of compassion.”

Aside from deep philosophical meanings, I encountered a few practical applications as well. The author of “White Coat Ceremony: Origins and Meaning of the Clinician’s Uniform” explains that white doesn’t “fade when washed at high (germ-killing) temperatures.” White also allows for the quick spotting of stains.

Student receiving white coat at 2015 White Coat Ceremony.

Student receiving white coat at 2015 White Coat Ceremony.

Onward

And so, the newly envisioned white coat was adopted in the medical community as accepted professional attire. Surgeons were among the first to wear them. Then came physicians practicing in hospitals, followed by GPs. By the year 1915, the wearing of white coats was wide spread, with most pharmacists wearing them by the late 1950s.

Today, white coats continue to be worn but there is much debate as to whether or not they should be. Picard writes that “one in eight doctors now wears a white lab coat, according to a U.S. study” and that “one of the reasons physicians have abandoned the traditional garb is that they feel the visual symbol of hierarchy impedes patient care.” He also points to the cost of having white coats cleaned (hospitals used to launder them for free but now only offer this service for scrubs) and the appropriateness of white coats in teamwork environments as other reasons.

At the Faculty’s Pharmacists Clinic, white coats are not worn. “Our clinicians wear name tags but not lab coats to demonstrate our view that a consultation between a pharmacist and patient is a meeting of experts,” says Barbara Gobis, director of the Pharmacists Clinic. “The pharmacist has expert knowledge about drug therapies and the patient is the expert on their own beliefs, values, daily routines and behaviours.”

All that being said, white coats are not totally unwelcome. According to Picard, “surveys show that the majority of patients like the white coat, largely because it helps them figure out who’s who, something that is impossible where every health worker wears scrubs or street clothes.”

So what does the future hold for the white coat? It’s unclear, at best, but for the time being the white coat is an extremely important part of what our students experience at UBC Pharm Sci. And there’s far more to the history of white coats and how they’re perceived today than my allotted word count will allow. To learn more, I strongly encourage you to read the following articles that I referenced and do some Googling of your own. – Jimi Galvão

Why do physicians wear white lab coats?
Andre Picard

The Doctor’s White Coat–an Historical Perspective
Mark S. Hochberg, MD

The White Coat: Why not Follow Suit?
Valerie A. Jones

White Coat Ceremony: Origins and Meaning of the Clinician’s Uniform

What should pharmacists wear?
Lin-Nam Wang


Keep an eye out for the next issue of Discover, coming soon! Are you subscribed to our publications?

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Current Students, Life at UBC Pharm Sci

Video: 2015 White Coat Ceremony

On Thursday, October 15, our new class of Entry-to-Practice PharmD students received their white coats and signed the Pledge of Professionalism at the 2015 White Coat Ceremony.

We captured the occasion on film…

Students recited and signed the Pledge of Professionalism, reproduced below.

I as a student in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of British Columbia will:

ACCEPT the responsibility for my actions as a student and as a health care professional that will reflect on both myself and my school.

CONSIDER the needs of others before myself.

DEVELOP a sense of loyalty and duty to the profession of pharmacy by contributing to the well-being of others and by accepting accountability for membership in the profession.

FOSTER professional competency through life-long learning and striving for high ideals, teamwork, and unity within the profession.

COMMIT to the Oath of a Pharmacist and the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists as set forth by the profession.

DEDICATE my life and practice to excellence by an ongoing reassessment of personal and professional values.

MAINTAIN the highest ideals and professional attributes to ensure optimal patient care.

*Adapted from the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Pledge of Professionalism

Congratulations to all our future pharmacists! What was your favourite part of the evening? Leave us a comment below or on Facebook.


View the event program and photos from the evening.

Current students: You can find our round-up of resources and useful information for you here.

Prospective students: Learn more about our Entry-to-Practice PharmD degree, or register for a Program Information Evening.

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