August 4, 2023
It’s orientation week for Pharm.D. students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and they’re being welcomed with open arms and five days of events and activities.
The first orientation event, held on August 1, was a dinner on the lawn outside Kerr Hall for students to start building connections at the School. This year the Connections Welcome Dinner was co-sponsored by Walgreens.
“I hope that the incoming class takes the time to get to know their fellow peers, older students and faculty during this week. Orientation provides a great opportunity to put your best foot forward, and, as we have heard over and over again, pharmacy is a small world, so I really hope the incoming students take advantage of this time to make as many connections as possible,” said Christian Palumbo, Pharm. D. candidate class of 2025, student senate vice president and a leader for orientation events.
Throughout the week new students were introduced to peer mentors and have had several professional development days to help prepare them for their first year. They’ve learned about the School’s expectations and what it means to be a student pharmacist.
“Orientation is so important for our incoming student pharmacists because it creates the foundation in which they will build into professionals,” said Colleen Wernoski, associate director of the Pharm.D. professional program. “The doctorate program is a gigantic step in their education and much different than undergrad, so preparing our students for this level of fast-paced academia is really an essential introduction to the Pharm.D. program.”
During the week, students also had the chance to let loose and get to know one another through team building activities with their peer mentors like trivia, a water balloon toss, solving riddles and more. This weekend, orientation will end with the Student Senate Carnival where students are introduced to different professional student organizations and opportunities to learn how to get involved
After orientation, the Pharmacy Bridging Course (PBC) begins. PBC consists of five modules and a study strategy course. The purpose is to get students on the same page in the areas of biochemistry, biostatistics, organic chemistry, physiology and the pharmacy toolkit which teaches basic pharmacy skills and calculations. This will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful throughout pharmacy school.
“I hope our incoming students understand that they are students here to learn—not to be perfect. And when things don’t go their way, I’m here to support them along with a whole “pharmily” of students, faculty and staff,” said Wernoski.
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