On day one of my final rotation, an elective with the Texas Pharmacy Association, I was immediately swept into the whirlwind of the 86th legislative session. I remember my preceptor, TPA CEO Debbie Garza, telling me that we were going down to the Texas Capitol for our weekly Pharmacy Advisory Group meeting, where representatives from all the major pharmacy groups in Texas would meet to brainstorm a game plan for ferrying our profession’s priority legislation across the finish line.

Having had minimal experience with policy-making procedures, my head started spinning with all the legislative jargon being thrown across the table. Despite years of memorizing medical terminology, I was not prepared for understanding phrases like “working the offices” or “Christmas tree bill.” However, with the patience and tutelage of the team, I dare say I now have a fair grasp of the various tactics and timelines it takes to pass a bill in the state legislature.

Advocacy may appear a monumental challenge to the clinical-minded student pharmacist who would much rather read the new hypertension guidelines than read the language of our bills, but we need to step out of our comfort zone and learn the things our curricula cannot teach us.

I have learned that it takes days of research to prepare for a three-minute testimony at the Capitol, and that you might wait five hours until your bill finally gets heard in committee at 11 p.m. I have also learned that these short testimonies do matter. Even though it seems like a huge time investment for such little airtime, the value of sharing your story with the literature to back it up is priceless. TPA actively searches for pharmacists to lend a voice to our bills, so while “advocacy” might seem like it is outside of our scope of practice, it is our duty to ourselves, our profession, and our patients to make sure laws are in place to support us.

Still nervous about getting involved? Does the thought of talking with senators and representatives give you premature ventricular contractions? I will admit, I still get that rush of adrenaline, fearing that they will throw me a curveball question that I was not prepared for and I will look ignorant. However, just like it is fine to tell your patient or preceptor, “I don’t know, but I will get back to you,” we can do the same with our legislators. They are people like us who hope to make a difference in their community.

While the legislative session has come to an end, your advocacy efforts should not. The days when pharmacists can focus only on the drug product are gone, and if you want job security after graduation, you need to start advocating now for laws that will enable pharmacists to be paid for services we perform. During the interim, I highly encourage students to organize visits with their representatives to talk about pharmacy priorities. It’s as easy as googling who your representative is and sending an email to their office. If you need some help getting started, TPA can certainly assist.

My preceptor told me, “Don’t be a wallflower.” Nothing will happen if we don’t make ourselves heard. Instead, let’s be a wildflower, unapologetically showing our colors and leaving a beautiful pharmacy stamp on this world.

Nguyen completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during April and May of 2019.