Columbia University College of Pharmacy - Apothekan Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 10 text:

Qo 7U Qidute . HK«rt » I WE, THE CLASS OF FEBRUARY 1949, dedicate this yearbook to the betterment of the pharmacy curriculum as a means of improving the caliber of the pharmacist, and with it a con- sequent raising of the standards of pharmacy. The scope of knowledge of a technical and practical nature now required of the pharmacist has increased tremendously in recent years, and we therefore feel that the course of study should be altered to include a two-year pre-pharmacy course of a cultural nature followed by an in- tensive four-year pharmacy course. • • • The four-year course should be broadened to feature several important aspects not included in the present curriculum. • • • We believe that the suggestions which follow would serve to better equip the future members of the profession and furnish a foundation for the construction of a superior curriculum. ■ ; The present course in Materia Medica in- cludes all official drugs and drug preparations. Since the number is so great, and since the knowledge required of each is so overwhelming, the course should be extended to two years in order to effectively present the material. The additional time will allow for discussing the new developments in therapeutics. This will go a long way toward giving the future pharmacist a deeper insight into his work. Proprietaries in modern pharmacy comprise a large percentage of the prescription work. We therefore feel that a one-year course in proprie- taries should be included, so that a student being employed in a pharmacy for the first time will be familiar with the more widely-used items. Details on new preparations should be brought to the attention of the student so that he can giye reliable information to the physician.

Page 9 text:

£ l T R college days are drawing to a close, and before very long each one of us will be blazing his own paths toward the long sought goal, ' ' success in our undertakings. There will come a day when we will want to look back on the years spent together working for our Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. We understand that the events in our lives in the years ahead will naturally overshadow some of the memories and happy moments which we have shared. It is with this intent that we devote our time and efforts to formulating this issue of the Apothekan, in order to record some of the outstanding events in our college life. When that time will come, may this issue of the Apothekan for our class of February 1949 bring back fond recollections of all who have labored together within these portals of Good Old Columbia College of Pharmacy.

Page 11 text:

Ui ill? Retailing is a science and an art in itself. Since a great percentage of our graduates enter the retail field, it is essential that they know how to successfully operate a modern pharmacy from the business as well as the professional view? point. Jmm — • • • Merchandising is also a very vital aspect, for the art of displaying and advertising may deter- mine the degree of success of a business. Meth- ods of purchasing stock in approximately cor- rect amounts should be taught. Proper pricing of items and fair trade regu- lations regarding prices should also be included n the economics course. The student should have an insight into the factors which make for the proper pricing of a prescription. • • • IL ' p to date dispensing pharmacy should be taught under the direct supervision of a qualified pharmacist, who is in continual contact with modern day procedures. Those prescriptions compounded in the dispensing laboratory should be assigned to better familiarize students with actual present day Rx ' s. Special conference periods should be ar- ranged during which competent men engaged in the various fields of pharmacy — retail, whole- sale and manufacturing, present their ideas as to how their particular job is most effectively per- formed. Graduating students in the future would greatly benefit by the establishment of a place- ment bureau in which practicing alumni desir- ing full-time pharmacists could apply, and through which graduates might obtain worthy jobs. Only by studying a modern up-to-date curriculum, with emphasis on pharmacologic subjects can the pharmacist hope to retain the respect which is his due and continue to be one of the leaders in the field of public health. okwtt