The University of Appalachia College of Pharmacy (UACP) recently held an etiquette dinner as part of the College’s professional socialization program. The dinner was held on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. at Southwest Virginia Community College (SwVCC) in the Charles R. King Community Center. Both the P1 and P2 classes attended the dinner along with members of the faculty and Board of Trustees.

The etiquette dinner is an extension of the Communications and Interpersonal Skills seminar taught during the fall semester of the P1 year. Part of this semester-long class is devoted to business and dining etiquette. Students learn and demonstrate the art of making small talk, making introductions, and writing thank you notes through lecture and active learning exercises. In addition, they learn how to conduct and participate in business meetings, how to use appropriate “netiquette,” and how to handle themselves in a formal dinner setting. Dr. Sarah Melton taught the class and thought it would be valuable to extend the learning to a “real world” setting.

“Many of our students have never been afforded the opportunity to experience a 5-course meal with a formal place setting. Such an event can cause a great deal of anxiety. I want our students to be comfortable with their dining etiquette before they go to national pharmacy meetings or on professional interviews. Having a ‘practice’ session in a real world setting seemed to be a natural way to help the students develop skills they will use for a lifetime,” Melton commented.

During the dinner, students were able to sit and network with representatives from several different pharmacy corporations that generously sponsored the program. Corporate sponsors included Wal-Mart, Kmart, Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy and Rite Aid. Dr. Vince Williams, Regional Director of Professional and Campus Relations for Wal-Mart, was the keynote speaker for the evening. Dr. Williams is also co-founder of PlentyGood, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on empowering youth to achieve educational excellence. During the dinner, he discussed professional skills and interviewing, and held a question and answer session for the students.

Mr. Clint Neel of Your Grate Escape catered the dinner. The dinner menu included sweet potato bisque with biscotti; mixed greens with dried cranberries, bleu cheese, glazed pecans and champagne vinaigrette; choice of chicken breast in a lemon caper sauce or sliced roast beef with red wine gravy; classic mashed potatoes; roasted vegetables; artisan white and wheat rolls with butter; and layered individual cake trifles with berry sauce. Mrs. Pauline Taylor, Administrative Support Specialist at SwVCC, was instrumental in arranging details at the King Community Center.

David Steinberg, a P1 student, found the dinner to be a valuable experience. “ The etiquette dinner was an unforgettable experience where we were not only able to utilize the skills that we learned in the classroom but were able to network and form invaluable relationships with pharmacy representatives and community members.”

UACP plans to make the etiquette dinner an annual event to encourage the professional socialization of students and to encourage networking with members of the pharmacy community. For more information about this program, please contact Sarah Melton at smelton@uacp.org.

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