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Kyle Wilby is the director of Dalhousie University’s College of Pharmacy. (Submitted by Kyle Wilby)<\/p>\nDalhousie University\u2019s College of Pharmacy is shaking up a longtime tradition.<\/p>\n
For years, students entering the pharmacy program in Halifax were welcomed into the health-care field with a special ceremony in which they were given a white coat.<\/p>\n
The white coat was regarded as something to be proud of, said the college\u2019s director, Kyle Wilby \u2014 something that signalled a sense of belonging in a new profession.<\/p>\n
But this September, the welcome ceremony looked a bit different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After students crossed the stage, received a pin, and signed a pledge of professionalism, they were handed a cherry tree sapling.<\/p>\n
History of mistrust<\/p>\n
Wilby said for some people, particularly in racialized or 2SLGBTQ+ communities or those with mental health disorders, a history of mistreatment in health care can result in a lack of trust of health-care professionals.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to past negative experiences in health care where maybe they’ve been forced to disclose information or maybe felt that they didn’t have their true patient voice when they were obtaining health care \u2026 seeing that white coat could actually be triggering and may result in a negative perception for those patients,\u201d Wilby said.<\/p>\n
Kyle Wilby is the director of Dalhousie University’s College of Pharmacy. (Submitted by Kyle Wilby)<\/p>\n
The white coat can also be a barrier, giving the perception of a power difference between patient and pharmacist, and perhaps prompt patients not to open up as much, said Wilby.<\/p>\n
Dalhousie pharmacy students are still given a white coat when they enter the program, but Wilby said it\u2019s just not celebrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just time to make the change.\u2026 It really was us trying to find our own distinct symbol to welcome students into pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why a cherry tree?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to go back to our roots as a profession,\u201d Wilby said. \u201cWhen you think about medications, we think about where they come from, and they really started to come from the world around us, our environment and in particular, plants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilby said while a cherry tree was chosen because the fruit, bark and leaves can all be used for medicinal products, the college may choose a different plant in future years.<\/p>\n
He added that he\u2019s hoping to have a planting event at the end of the program \u2014 assuming students can keep the sapling alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents so far have really embraced it and have told me that they\u2019ve got their plant-care skills ongoing,\u201d Wilby said.<\/p>\n
Others in profession applaud change<\/p>\n
Dalhousie is the first school to move away from the white coat ceremony. The college stopped celebrating the white coat in 2024, but only introduced the cherry tree this fall.<\/p>\n
Since then, the University of Ottawa has also moved toward a plant-based celebration, giving students an echinacea plant this year, Wilby said.<\/p>\n
Shawn Bugden, the president of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, said Dal\u2019s move certainly has other schools talking.<\/p>\n
\u201cDal is getting us all to sort of think about this and reflect on what we do and why we do it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a power imbalance that’s inherent when you’re dealing with a health-care professional and anything that we can do to sort of minimize that is something that should be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Allison Bodnar is the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia. (Jean Laroche\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Allison Bodnar, the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, said she applauds the college for making the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a recognition that perhaps it’s not a symbol that is something that we want to continue with,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bodnar said many in the pharmacy field choose not to wear the white coat these days anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don’t want to be perceived as a position of power. They want to be collaborative. They want to work with their patients,\u201d Bodnar said.<\/p>\n
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