Steph’s Note: Today we’re taking a trip down Professionalism Lane. There are many changes happening in the pharmacy world right now, and if you haven’t noticed, a lot of those emails in your inbox about said changes are from pharmacy organizations. These groups are our voice. And in this post, tl;dr has three representatives of these organizations to discuss how to find and exercise that voice. Introductions are in order:

Amanda is a PGY1 pharmacy resident at the University of Kentucky Healthcare. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy. Amanda has enthusiastically held leadership positions in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) since the first year of pharmacy school and continues to contribute through the Cardiology Practice and Research Network’s membership committee. In her free time (and while social distancing), she enjoys running, listening to true crime podcasts, and spending time with family. Next year, she will be continuing on to a PGY2 in Cardiology at the University of Kentucky.

Laura is a PGY1 pharmacy resident at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. Laura currently serves in roles for the ACCP, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP). Next year, Laura will be staying on at MD Anderson for their Hematology/Oncology PGY2.

Olga is a first-year Health-System Pharmacy Administration (HSPA) resident at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from Purdue University. Olga currently serves as a work group lead for the ASHP New Practitioners Forum and as a member-at-large on the resident advisory committee through the ACCP. She enjoys traveling, reading, running half-marathons, and trying out new restaurants in Columbus in her free time!

Now let’s just have a moment for the fact that we have 3 authors from 3 different residency training sites and 3 different schools of pharmacy. They’ve collaborated to write this post together. How on earth did they get to know each other well enough to do this?? Spoiler alert :)

When someone mentions professional pharmacy organizations, what is your first thought? More conferences? More membership dues? Jumbled acronyms?

There’s actually WAY more to them than that!

Throughout this article, we hope to give you a framework to see what professional pharmacy organizations could mean for you by answering why, when, and what. Along the way we’ll share some of the great benefits that these organizations are providing you, regardless of whether you are a student, new practitioner, or an experienced clinician.

Why should I get involved in pharmacy organizations?

(TLDR: ultimately, it depends on what is important to you)

That’s a tough and very individualized question that sometimes requires a little soul searching. When life is busy with schoolwork, residency projects, or committee protocols, you may have to determine just what exactly is motivating you to get or stay involved with pharmacy groups.

To you, perhaps organizational involvement is…

A way to give back
A professional obligation
A resource to stay up to date or improve patient care
A community of peers and mentors (that keeps you sane!)
A way to advocate for your patients, or
Some awesome combination of all of these.

As a new practitioner, there are opportunities to grow and reinvest those new skills. You can address challenges that face the pharmacy profession and health care organizations in general. This year alone, professional organizations have facilitated opportunities for the three of us to develop podcast content, test board certification resources, comment on proposed board of pharmacy rules, and even write this article! (Ah, there’s how this crew came together! *wink)

Maybe one of these opportunities speaks to you or maybe it doesn’t, but the beauty of being involved is that you are able to contribute in a meaningful way.

When should I get involved in pharmacy groups?

(TLDR: the time is now, if you are able!)

To answer that question, let’s start from the beginning. In pharmacy school it may seem like:

There are so many options for involvement thrown at you in fairs, orientation, and emails. As you probably remember from starting school, this can be exciting, overwhelming, or potentially both of those at once! You feel like you should join something, but which one? Should you do multiple? You don’t want to stretch yourself too thin, but you also don’t want to look like a bum.

We’ve all been there.

One way to balance these feelings is to join a local chapter of an organization as early as you are able. Believe it or not, pharmacy school may be the easiest time to get involved. The meetings are close, convenient, and often scheduled around school obligations.

Additionally, depending on your school, you may not have the ability to actively participate all academic years. Some colleges only allow for specific opportunities during certain academic years or on specific campuses. If possible, try to assess what’s offered in those fairs and emails and plan ahead of time.

All of this advice on starting early aside, It is important to remember the best time to join is also…at any time. It’s never too late!

Here are some tips about getting involved according to your pharmacy career stage:

P1 students - By joining an organization early in your pharmacy training, you can gain exposure into the organization’s scope and structure. Because it’s still really early in your pharmacy career, you also have the luxury of checking out several different organizations. Sort of like speed dating for organizations.

The coordination…the teamwork…and what a final result! This could be you and your peeps in your chosen organization. (Image)

You get to find the one (or two) that aligns best with your interests, fits your schedule, and has the people you want to spend your time with. But if you don’t try any of them out, you’ll never know!

Join the local chapters and serve on a committee! As you progress through pharmacy school, you may even end up applying for a regional or national leadership position at some point.

P2 students - After (hopefully) finding the best techniques for studying in your first year of pharmacy school, your second year is a great chance to dive further into organizations and apply for leadership roles on the chapter level.

You should also take the opportunity to explore the possibility of applying for a national leadership role to contribute to a larger audience and gain a number of skills (time management, communication, prioritizing school work and committee work, working with different personalities, etc.).

P3 students - This is your chance to really leave a positive impact within an organization and begin mentoring younger students. If you did get involved earlier in your pharmacy journey, you know the structure of meetings and can develop strategies to improve the way your organization operates.

If you’re a late bloomer and this is your first time thinking about getting involved (or maybe you joined a different group previously and your career interests have changed!), seek out roles you can play and ways that you can contribute. It might be a good idea to touch base with a classmate that has made that specific organization their home to figure out what opportunities exist to get involved on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.

P4 students - You are typically on rotations at this point and won’t be on campus as much. This means you’ll have to get a wee bit more creative to come up with ways you can give back to younger students. Whether it is helping with a local chapter’s CV review or practicing mock interviews, there are numerous ways to stay involved, even if you’re not physically attending the meetings regularly.

This is also a great time for you to start asking current residents on your rotations about their organizational involvement and which organizations they chose to pursue as new practitioners. You’ll have to make choices soon about which ones you stick with after graduation or whether there are new ones you want to join based on your career direction.

New practitioner or experienced pharmacist - You are in a great position to build upon your previous experiences. For instance, some national or state organizations may recognize your contributions to your school’s affiliate during consideration for future leadership opportunities. There are many calls for volunteers year round and ways to connect or contribute. Your practice site as well as educational and advocacy needs will naturally lead you to the organizations that best fit you.

Consider setting up coffee with a coworker or mentor that’s involved. Email current leadership within the organization that sparked your interest to better understand why they got involved and what opportunities may be available to you! These individuals are typically eager to share their passions.

How many (and which) organizations do I get involved with?

(TLDR: at least 1, if you are able!)

There’s an organization for just about everything. And that doesn’t just mean different specialties or interests. Organizations can be divided into three main buckets: local, state, or national. Furthermore, you can also consider whether you want to be a member of a pharmacy-only organization or an interprofessional organization with other types of providers. So how on earth do you choose??

First, let’s just say this: please don’t join all 5 organizations at your school just to list them on your CV. Quality over quantity. The experiences and how you grow as a person and pharmacist while working with an organization are what matter, and it will be evident during interviews if you didn’t really do anything but pay your dues year after year. Just sayin’.

Also, it takes at least some dough to join most organizations. We know being a pharmacy intern is pretty decent pay, but still, you don’t want to be shelling out your hard-earned money to groups for name credit only!

Now, let’s break this down a bit.

Pharmacy school organizations and local affiliates

If possible, pharmacy school is the time to explore. There are recruitment events and meetings you can attend to see what speaks to you without any pressure or obligation. Additionally, annual membership dues are often reasonable, ranging from free to $100.

Besides national or state affiliates (aka local chapters of larger organizations), you may have the opportunity to be involved with a more homegrown cause that speaks to your school or the community you serve.

State, regional, and national organizations

We are grouping these together as most state organizations feed into national organizations and many of the same principles and benefits apply.

Depending on the organization and state, some groups may be more dominant in certain states on certain topics and more collaborative on other initiatives. What’s great about state organizations is that in some cases your coworkers or other pharmacists in your community are often involved in similar activities. It can be really nice to see familiar faces at local, state, and then national meetings.

This type of involvement is also a great way to help the organization you work for and patients you serve. You may know about new legislation that impacts care or know about resources from other organizations that may help troubleshoot new problems. Additionally, with competition for certain pharmacy jobs, it may be a great opportunity to organically grow your network to see what other career opportunities exist across your state or the nation.

Interprofessional organizations

Pharmacists contributions are so valuable to the allied health care team. Many large organizations, including those that produce the guidelines we live by, have pharmacists as part of their leadership and membership structure. For example, take the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), just to name a couple.

Currently, there are pharmacist presidents of state-level interprofessional organizations, and pharmacists regularly present their work at large interdisciplinary meetings. If those are the types of contributions or experiences you are looking for, then go for it! It’s important we hone our craft and share how we can augment and complement the allied health community.

Overall, these organizations may provide different benefits throughout your career.

There are many opportunities to explore. So how do you differentiate the best fit for you?

It depends on what speaks to you based on your needs. Those needs may change as you progress throughout your career - from a new practitioner to a more experienced clinician. The intent of this list is not to sales pitch any specific organization but to share a small glimpse of the benefits out there to help you succeed.

We hope at least one example makes you consider joining!

Advocacy

National organizations advocate for you, and they are great informational resources for current pharmacy issues. As part of their email list service, you may be alerted to issues you care about.
(This year, calls to action went out about protecting funding for residency programs and for including pharmacists in funding for the COVID-19 response. On the ball, right?)
Much of pharmacy is regulated by the states. Actively participating with your state affiliate can be very interesting and rewarding. In addition to state legislation, you may have the opportunity to comment on pharmacy board rules.

Board certification review or additional certificates

Depending on their scope, many of these organizations offer discounted rates to help with board review or additional certifications. For instance, one of the authors of this post bought a BCPS review book from ACCP (Member $165; Non-member: $265). The membership savings on this one product more than covered the cost of membership ($90).

Clinical or policy development

Many state and national organizations have committees/forums for students, new practitioners, or experienced pharmacist members to address specific needs or charges. You can also develop guidance on best practices for clinical or operational pharmacy.
Additionally, there is always the opportunity to actively engage and even lead within these organizations. Position descriptions typically explain the expected time commitment upfront (often a few hours a month).
Since members are located all over the country, the meetings are usually efficient and conducted over phone or video conferencing. These applications are often due in the December-June timeframe.

Job placement, residency search, or career services

For example, ACCP offers CV and letter of intent review year round. ASHP has CV reviews biannually. Both have search engines for residency and fellowship positions.
Organizations also typically offer access to job postings, which can be helpful when you’re looking for your first job after pharmacy school or during a job transition.

Leadership development

Almost all organizations offer opportunities to get involved with leading a team or working on a project. If you are looking for a more formalized content, some national organizations (e.g., ACCP, APhA, ASHP, NCPA) have information on their websites.

Loan discounts and advice

Sometimes we need a little help with finances and adulting. (Image)

Many national and state organizations offer information on how to understand significant financial decisions (e.g., the basics on investing or buying a house). A lot of this is freely available on their websites!
Some organizations may have partnerships with consolidation lenders and offer an additional percentage student loan refinancing discounts to their members.

Mentoring

Many organizations have annual programs to sign up to be a mentor or mentee.

Pharmacy journal access

ACCP has Pharmacotherapy and JACCP.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) has JMCP.
American Pharmacists’ Association (APhA) produces JAPhA, and
ASHP has AJHP, just to name a few.
Many of these journals promote original clinical research, therapy reviews, and innovations in pharmacy practice, and they’re usually free for members.

Social media

Organizations offer the ability to connect through a variety of social media platforms. Often these will share guideline updates, new articles, or interesting information that may impact your practice area.
Consider following a few organizations just to see what they offer and speak about. (FYI: You do not have to be a member to follow!)

Wellness

Many of the larger organizations are now offering free resources for their members.
For example, APhA provides members with access to programs and activities. ASHP is offering Headspace free to its members (a mindfulness and meditation app).

What are our perspectives?

(TLDR: We <3 pharmacy organizations)

Amanda – At my pharmacy school, most of the clinical pharmacists who taught us were involved in ACCP, so I decided to check it out. Attending the ACCP Annual Meeting as a first year exposed me to the endless pharmacy career paths available to me as well as opportunities to be actively involved as a student and practitioner. As a member of the national Student Network Advisory Committee, I gained opportunities to meaningfully contribute to student programming at local and national levels and connect with fellow student pharmacist leaders.

At a local level, I participated in what I consider to be impactful experiences. I volunteered at a local clinic for underserved individuals and worked to improve the pharmacy presence. These experiences earned me the ASHP National Student Leadership Award in my second year of pharmacy school. As I’ve continued through pharmacy school and residency training, I’ve strived to positively contribute to the field of pharmacy.

My advice: find your passion, connect with others who support and guide you, and relentlessly strive to meet your goals!

Laura – For nearly 5 years, I have been a part of the Texas affiliate of ASHP (called TSHP). Volunteering in various roles has allowed me to learn from amazing peers, understand the needs of an organization’s membership, and help develop content for annual seminars. One of the most rewarding aspects has been the ability to connect with people year after year at the local and state meetings.

These amazing people really went out of their way to share their experiences and help me understand my own. If I had not consistently attended, I do not think I would be on the path I am today. Putting yourself out there may seem daunting, but showing up and being an engaged member can really help you find your calling.

Olga – One of my favorite parts of being a new practitioner has been working with the New Practitioners Forum of ASHP. This group helps to integrate new practitioners into the pharmacy community by providing an opportunity for collaboration and professional development. In the fall semester, I worked with four other new practitioners to develop a podcast called, “Get Ready: Tips and Tricks for the Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.”

In this podcast, we had the opportunity to share tips on what to wear/bring to the meeting, how to navigate the residency showcase, and provided a day by day breakdown. We were able to successfully record a podcast even though we were in five different cities, and we got the podcast released before Midyear! The new practitioners had fantastic ideas and examples to draw upon. I look forward to seeing how we continue to work together in the future!

(Sounds like a great companion piece to tl;dr’s Mastering the Match!)

Takeaways

We hope you now have a framework to best understand what’s available. Just know at any time, there will always be opportunities to provide new resources for your peers, improve upon existing programs, spearhead change in the profession, or anything else you may want to pursue. So please consider joining an organization.

If you’re already a member, stick with us! Maybe get a little more active. We bet you’ll find it so rewarding! Plus, you have a lot to offer, and we need your insight and your contributions!

We Want You! How to Make the Most of Pharmacy Professional Organizations