Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2027 to Begin Clinical Rotations Following White Coat Ceremony

MCW School of Pharmacy Students have the unique opportunity to begin clinical rotations early in their journey to becoming a Doctor of Pharmacy. The White Coat Ceremony, held on October 9, marked the official transition from student to “student pharmacist.” Following the rite of passage at the start of the second quarter, students participate in weekly clinical rotations every Friday, translating classroom knowledge into skills they develop through experiential learning. During their third and final year of the curriculum, students are outside of the classroom, immersed in various practice settings full time.

The white coat is an outward sign of the commitment of future pharmacists to professionalism, respect, integrity and caring — hallmarks of the pharmacy profession.

“Pharmacists are highly accessible, yet vastly underutilized,” said George E. MacKinnon III, PharmD, DMSc (Hon.), MS, RPh, FASHP, FNAP, founding dean and professor. “The average person lives within five miles or less of the nearest pharmacy, which places the pharmacist in a unique position to help America close the gap on patient access and bring greater affordability to healthcare costs.”

The keynote speaker was Erik Everton, PharmD, RPh, associate principal scientist in oncology at Merck. He is also an alumnus of MCW’s inaugural PharmD Class of 2020.

"You are training to become an expert that the people you serve can rely on,” said Dr. Everton. “The failures you go through in pharmacy school are a wonderful, and obligatory, opportunity to perfect your knowledge in service of the oath you will take. So, be intentional from here on out as you build your knowledge.”

John Muchka, PharmD, BCPS, clinical pharmacist at Froedtert Health and managing partner of executive search at Hudson RPO, led the Oath of a Pharmacist. Pharmacists and future pharmacists recite their promise to devote themselves to a lifetime of service, to advance health equity, to hold themselves to a high moral and ethical standard and more.

Christina Choi, 2026 PharmD candidate and president of the Pharmacy Student Alliance, recommended her peers embrace the so called “pharmily” (a combination of “pharmacy” and “family”).

“As you enter this new chapter of your life, I want you to know that you're not just joining a profession, you're joining a family — a community bound by a shared commitment to care, support and uplift one another,” said Choi. “In your ‘pharmily,’ you will find mentors who will guide you through challenges, classmates who will become lifelong friends and colleagues who will stand by your side through thick and thin.”