Albany College of Pharmacy - Alembic Yearbook (Albany, NY)

Page 10 text:

DEAN’S MESSAGE Graduates of 1967: In behalf of the Faculty I extend to each of you our hearty congratulations on the occasion of your Commencement. It marks the ful- fillment of five years of effort both on your part and ours. We hope that the pride and confidence engendered by the receipt of your diploma will always remain with you in the practice of your profession. You are the first class to be graduated in the era of Medicaide and Medicare. The changes which will take place in the practice of pharmacy in this new social order are not fully discernible at this time. As with all of the health professions, there will be a diminution of personal initiative and independence but there is also the possibility of a great professional advance. There are indications now that pharmacy will be classified as a service and not a “business” and the compensation of the pharmacist will be based upon the service rendered rather than “markup” on merchandise. The general public and the government are apparently willing to be far more liberal in rewarding personal service than in providing even a modest “profit” on the sale of a commodity. Your task will be to strengthen the minority of those now practicing who believe that pharmacy is primarily a service as are medicine, dentistry, nursing, medical technology and all of the other health profes- sions. Once this is clearly established most of our other problems may be attuned to the new era without undue difficulty. It has been my pleasant lot in life to have actively shared in the Commence- ment of graduates of the Albany College of Pharmacy since 1920. Since yours will be the last in which I shall have an active part there is an added significance in my farewell to you. You have my best wishes for your future success as professional men and women as you have had them for the past five years as students. I hope that we say goodbye to each other in a spirit of mutual respect and esteem and that I may have the pleasure of meeting you on many future occasions both socially and professionally. Francis J. O’Brien Dean 9