Every other year, during Pharmacy Day at the Capitol, participants can advocate for the pharmacy profession by speaking to state legislators. There are also ample opportunities for collaboration among pharmacy students, pharmacists, and other pharmacy representatives to garner support for pharmacy-related bills. As a TPA student director, it was my duty to recruit students from my institution to participate and help with TPA’s advocacy efforts.

This was a memorable experience for me. It was my first time visiting the Texas Capitol, and I was nervously trying to come up with an elevator pitch while guiding my classmates. When we walked through the doors of First United Methodist Church Family Life Center in Austin for the morning briefing and saw the number of people in white coats, it was jaw-dropping. The enthusiasm emitted from attendees showed how much pharmacy advocacy in Texas has evolved.

When I received my advocacy packet, I was anxious because I was unfamiliar with both my assigned teammates and legislators. However, once we greeted each other, listened to mock demonstrations and created a plan of action, I knew we could get through this together.

At first, I worried I would forget what to say. I soon discovered I enjoyed speaking about my profession and educating others about what pharmacists are capable of doing. I realized I was able to gain support and people appreciated how pharmacists are working to improve healthcare. It was clear that our efforts were worthwhile and those 15 minutes of conversation were crucial. It was rewarding to witness the students I recruited from Texas A&M utilize my advice and put techniques I had taught them into action. In addition, watching the students from different schools of pharmacy collaborate on the spot gave me hope for the future state of pharmacy.

I am proud to have advocated for my profession. Events like this help pave the path for pharmacy. The scope of practice for pharmacists is limited by the law, so it is essential that we speak up to advance our profession. It’s also important that current and future pharmacists take time to explain the good our profession does, or we may be misrepresented by others.

It’s vital that we continue to push for initiatives our profession is capable of providing, such as “test and treat” (or the ability to furnish antiviral medications based on a positive CLIA-waived flu test), collaborative practice, and furnishing non-diagnostic medications for smoking cessation or travel. We must remind lawmakers that these initiatives are not solely for our benefit, but would improve the lives of all patients including legislators themselves. Our desire to gain “provider status” would not only enlarge our scope of practice and improve our work life, but would also help improve patient’s health, their experience with healthcare professionals, and the cost of healthcare.

Expanding the role of pharmacists will expand services for patients—and at the end of the day, that’s why we all chose to be in healthcare.