Pharmacy school organization updates new pharmacist oath to include commitment to diversity, ‘antiracism’

The changes were recommended by both the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Board of Directors and the American Pharmacists Association Board of Trustees and were finalized in November.

The organizations will hold a profession-wide virtual event in early 2022 for pharmacists, faculty members, pharmacy students, and others to reaffirm the new oath. Further, the new oath will be used for all Spring 2022 pharmacy school commencement ceremonies.

“The joint committee led a critical charge of boldly expanding our professional oath to include the necessary elements of equity, inclusion, and diversity,” said Lakesha Butler, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy in a statement.

“The revised oath charges all pharmacists to take an active responsibility in promoting health equity and commit to being change agents in the system of pharmacy practice and beyond.”

The Oath of a Pharmacist was first developed in 1983, and was revised in 1994 and 2007. In 2021, the Oath Revision Steering Committee held a number of hearings regarding amending the oath to include the diversity component.