Oath of a Pharmacist
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 promote inclusion, embrace diversity, and advocate for justice to advance health equity.
I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes for all patients.
I will respect and protect all personal and health information entrusted to me.
I will accept the responsibility to improve my professional knowledge, expertise, and self-awareness.
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.
Adopted by AACP and APhA (November 2021)
Reflections on Day 1 of a student pharmacist after taking
the Oath of a Pharmacist:
Better pay attention in school so I can provide lifetime devotion of
unconditional care to all individuals at the best of my ability…
Reflections on first day of APPE:
Wow!! I am actually going to take care of patients in real life. Better
not screw up and pay attention so I can deliver unconditional
care and not disappoint my preceptors and the medical team.
Reflections on my last day of APPE:
Wow!! Time flies this year. I really loved APPE more, especially oncology
because I really get to know the patients and their families.
They are so kind even when they are facing such a serious situation
in their lives…amazing!!! I also appreciate the significance of
interprofessional team care and the devotion of oncology healthcare
providers in giving unconditional care. I must learn more in
my residency so I can give better unconditional care, just like how
many of the medical team members have shown me.
Reflections on my last day of residency:
I am grateful that I got matched to the University of California
Irvine Medical Center (UCIMC) residency program because the
program design allowed me sufficient space to personalize my
training. I rotated through various specialty oncology teams. My
oncology preceptor, Dr. Tom Billups, supported my desire to take
care of 2 patients with cancer throughout the year so I can truly
understand what it takes to deliver unconditional longitudinal care
and to confirm my commitment to be an oncology pharmacist.
Reflections on my end-of Year 1 as an oncology pharmacist:
Began my career as the first Gyn-Onc pharmacist at UCIMC and
serving as a preceptor for student pharmacists. Working with a
surgical oncology team that also manages their patients’ chemotherapy
provided plenty of opportunities for this young pharmacist
to learn about post-op care in addition to the conventional
oncology care. Of course, attending daily patient rounds at 6:30
AM was precious. Thank you, Dr. Philip DiSaia for making all these
experiences possible for me.
Reflections on my fifth year as an oncology pharmacist:
On top of now serving both medical oncology and gyn-oncology
patients, the process of creating an infusion center pharmacy
in the newly built NCI-designated Chao Comprehensive Cancer
Center at UCI was one of the most rewarding experiences. The
independence to develop an innovative pharmacy practice model
for the oncology pharmacy team to provide comprehensive direct
patient care in both ambulatory and inpatient settings was
rewarding and appreciated by patients and the medical team.
The interprofessional approach optimized the unconditional care
delivered to the patients and caregivers. The pharmacy became a
reference and training site that embraced and advocated change
for continual improvement of patient care. Thank you, Drs. Steven
Armentrout, Lewis Slater, and Frank Meyskens for your mentorship
and support.
Reflection on my tenth year as an oncology pharmacist:
The growth as a practitioner was undeniable in the last 10 years…
grateful… The new opportunity to grow in clinical research presented
excitement for another chapter of my professional development.
Entered my first full time academia appointment as a
founding faculty of Western University College of Pharmacy satisfied
my growing passion for research. I also founded the Pharmaceutical
Science Committee at SWOG to supplement my learning
dimension in research and expand my horizon to deliver unconditional
care to patients, young colleagues, and peers.
Reflection on my twentieth year as an oncology pharmacist:
After working with an oncology surgeon to manage the patients
on year-long adjuvant interferon therapy and clinical trials as a
faculty-in-residence at UCIMC, I transitioned to an oncology private
practice office to initiate a full-service clinical trial program.
The ability to personalize investigative treatment options to
patients in the community setting is priceless, not to mention another
lifetime learning reward and the pleasure to share all these
innovative, entrepreneurial and leadership events to learners who
I worked with.
Reflection on my thirtieth year as an oncology pharmacist:
These last 10 years presented the most mobile phase of my personal
and professional growth, including position and institutional
changes that resulted in a bold move to take on a founding administrative
position at Chapman University School of Pharmacy.
Perhaps a mid-life crisis? One of the most profound events that occurred
was creating a stand-a-lone referral based oral chemotherapy
management clinic, which resulted in my next phase of growth
in elevating my viewpoint to broader professional issues, such as
general population safety and professional responsibility.
Since my semi-retirement in early 2020, I reflected on my
accomplishments and contributions to my profession in the last
thirty-some years. I wonder if I have fulfilled the oath I took on
my first day of pharmacy school. Did I consider the welfare of humanity
and relief of suffering my primary concerns? Did I promote
inclusion, embrace diversity, and advocate for justice to advance
health equity? Did I apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to
the best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes for all patients?
Did I respect and protect all personal and health information
entrusted to me? Did I accept the responsibility to improve my
professional knowledge, expertise, and self-awareness? Did I hold
myself and my colleagues to the highest principles of our profession’s
moral, ethical and legal conduct? Did I embrace and advocate
changes that improve patient care? Did I utilize my knowledge,
skills, experiences, and values to prepare the next generation of
pharmacists?
I believe I did, and I think it is because of all the Unconditional
Care I have received from, shared with, and provided to all my
encounters as a life-long oncology pharmacist. I also came to
recognize that I have embraced the oath starting with a very
focused personal goal to fully embody the oath to my patients,
collaborators, learners, and global professional issues as I grow
professionally. As I am being asked to impart my “advice,” I cherish
the valuable lessons I learned from the late Randy Pausch “The
Last Lecture” published in 2008 on his end-of-life reflections as a
young computer science professor about living (in red) and add on
my personal thoughts.
Be adventurous and just do it
Seizing every moment and do the best you can with it
It never hurts to ask because you never know if that may
promote your personal and/or professional growth, even self-discovery
for research ideas
Enabling the dreams of others because you will be amazed
at the joy that will bring when you are surrounded by successful
people
