I joined the Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) during my first year of pharmacy school but failed to recognize the value of my membership at that time. As a fourth-year pharmacy student, I was able to better appreciate the value of being involved in TPA during my advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) rotations.

Although I have been a TPA member for many years, I was not sure what to expect in my rotation as I had a limited background regarding legislation and advocacy. With the help of my preceptor, Debbie Garza, and the TPA staff, it turned out to be an extraordinary learning experience.

Sadly, it was not until this rotation that I got a glimpse at some of the important issues at hand: low reimbursement rates, lack of federal recognition as providers, difficulty joining provider networks in Texas, and concerns regarding job outlook. Throughout my rotation, I was able to participate in meetings with the TPA Board of Directors and other groups, such as Texas Medicaid, that helped me better understand the issues in pharmacy.

Unfortunately, these issues only become apparent to students once they begin practicing, making it difficult to navigate solutions. There is no doubt that clinical knowledge is important, but it is just as vital to learn and educate ourselves about issues that are affecting Texas pharmacists in real time.

TPA provides a unified platform for all pharmacists, pharmacy students, and pharmacy technicians. They actively support and advocate for issues their members are facing, regardless of their practice area. Joining TPA is free for students, but the wealth of information that comes with the membership is immeasurable. It was only at the beginning of this rotation that I realized all the information that I had at my fingertips, as I began to dive further into the weekly newsletters and quarterly magazines.

As students it is easy to get caught in the whirlwind of pharmacy school, but it only takes a couple seconds to sign up and support TPA. Although many issues may not affect students just yet, that does not mean students cannot play a role in advocacy. During the last legislative session in 2019, more than 400 students from all pharmacy schools showed that their voices mattered, resulting in notable legislative wins for pharmacy.

A unified voice in the profession can have a far greater influence than multiple individual voices. TPA has always provided the support, but the organization can only be as strong as its members. Everything is at our fingertips; it’s what we choose to do with the information that can make a difference for our profession and our future.

Momin completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during October and November of 2020.

When I received my APPE rotation schedule and saw I would be wrapping up my P4 year doing an Association Management rotation with Texas Pharmacy Association CEO Debbie Garza, I never imagined it would be completely virtual.

As a student pharmacist just six weeks shy of completing the Pharm.D. program requirements, the COVID-19 pandemic brought much uncertainty. Would we be able to finish our rotations? Would we be able to graduate? Would we be able to sit for board exams?

Fortunately, TPA was able to help ease my uncertainty by allowing me to complete a virtual rotation while also emphasizing its dedication to the profession of pharmacy amidst a pandemic.

I spent six weeks working with the TPA staff, yet never saw them in person. Because of my involvement as a student member of TPA, I was familiar with the Association’s structure and was quickly able to jump on board with projects. Debbie held virtual meetings via the Zoom platform allowing the staff to utilize video conferencing to meet multiple times a week. Through these meetings, I was able to put names to faces which helped make up for the lack of in-person interactions. From sharing fun facts to hosting themed birthday celebrations, the virtual platform allowed me to build rapport with the staff while still adhering to the work-from-home mandate.

While the staff was not directly on the front lines of the pandemic like many pharmacists were, they still worked tirelessly behind the scenes and greatly contributed on many different levels. They ensured their website and social media platforms had the most up-to-date information from both a public health and clinical perspective. They helped connect local news stations with pharmacists to highlight their efforts in the community. Most importantly, they worked closely with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy and the Governor’s office to advocate for changes that would help pharmacists, interns, and technicians better meet the needs of their patients during the pandemic.

Although the rotation was virtual, I was amazed at how much I learned and grew professionally during the six weeks. The structure of the rotation allowed me to work on skills such as effective telephone communication, email etiquette, and self-discipline. Fine-tuning these qualities helped prepare me to transition into a workforce that has largely shifted to remote work using virtual platforms.

Although the rotation did not look how I expected it to, it was a very unique and valuable learning experience that I will never forget.

Alvarez completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during April and May of 2020.

The Texas Pharmacy Association’s 2019 Women in Pharmacy conference taught me many valuable lessons about self-appreciation. I found myself realizing there are barriers women face in the real world that I may face as a soon-to-be pharmacy school graduate. While hearing that there are disparities between men and women was nothing new, learning that women as a whole also hinder themselves was different.

It was a revelation to hear that there is gender discrimination not only in the workforce but also internally in women, through self-doubt and fraudulence. I had never realized that other women had similar experiences, let alone that the phenomenon had a name: imposter syndrome.

Diane Ginsburg, a clinical professor and dean at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy (and also a great mentor to TPA CEO Debbie Garza), defined imposter syndrome as the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or that it has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.

Women who suffer from this phenomenon think their success is based on luck or timing, not their own experiences, skills, or other qualities. Those who typically experience this feeling are those with high level positions, creative people, and students, to name a few.

Hearing this, I felt that someone was reading my mind. As a student in my final year of pharmacy school who subscribed to self-doubt and consented to defeat over the years, it is hard to accept that I’m not here based on my good luck but because of my own skills and merits. There is relief in the discovery that there is a name for my insecurity and that I am not alone. Even successful women have cast a cloud over their shining achievements, making it hard to accept the praise they deserve.

The conference was both motivational and inspirational. Being in a room full of women who not only want to better themselves but also support and uplift the women around them was enlightening. Traditionally, the idea has been for women to adjust to the male-dominated workforce, but I believe our goal should be for society to begin to accept and reveal that the capabilities of women are the same as anyone else’s.

I sat at my conference table with a quote staring at me: “Fix another queen’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.” In a room full of other women in pharmacy, it was a reminder that this event wasn’t about men versus women in the workforce. It was about recognizing that as a woman, you can and you should.

Being able to have open conversations about our challenges, we can make more people aware that we all face the same barriers within ourselves. Visualizing success, owning your accomplishments and acknowledging that you deserve to be here are a few of many great lessons I learned.

As I venture into the working world, being able to preemptively address thoughts of hesitancy in advancement due to fear of being under-qualified or feeling fraudulent, I can open doors to more opportunities. By preventing your inner narrative from telling you that you can’t, you’ll be surprised how much you can do.

Le completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during September and October of 2019.

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.

I am getting close to the half-way mark during my fourth-year rotations, and I couldn’t be more thankful for everything I have learned so far. Each rotation has given me a unique perspective on the profession of pharmacy that is reflective of the specialty and focus of each.

I am on my fourth rotation, and I am fortunate to have been designated to the Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA) as my elective rotation. With the guidance and mentorship of my preceptor, CEO Debbie Garza, RPh, and the supporting staff at TPA, I can in all honesty report that this rotation has been especially instrumental to my growth as a student pharmacist.

My initial impression and conception of TPA was very misguided and lacking. I do not claim to represent all pharmacy students, but having spoken to other students, I feel that there is a consensual lack of knowledge and appreciation for the role our state professional organization plays in the advancement of our profession as well as for the importance of advocacy among those who are invested in it. As the end of my rotation draws near, and my time here is completed, I reflect on all my experiences and interactions knowing that each moment was vital to the growth of my understanding, and deep appreciation for advocacy in pharmacy.

With the profession of pharmacy changing considerably in recent years, pharmacists are often at the front line when it comes to accessing and promoting health care services to patients. These changes have begun to emphasize a less technical role for pharmacists and have also opened up many diverse opportunities for innovative pharmacists who dare to think outside the box. It is understood that the role of pharmacist must evolve to allow us to perform more duties within our scope of practice. But who will fight for the pharmacists to ensure that they don’t become a commodity and that their worth is valued to the extent of the positive impact they provide in health care? The importance of advocacy has never been so clear, and thankfully it is never too late to let your voice be heard.

Advocacy in its most basic form is simply educating others and showing support for a meaningful cause. In order to continue advancing the role of the pharmacist, it is important for pharmacists to advocate for their expanded scope of practice as health care providers. Research has proven that clinical services provided by pharmacists improve patient outcomes, which is the goal of every health care professional.

To make a difference, pharmacists need to be active and get involved. The involvement does not need to be time-consuming, however. By just becoming a member of TPA, members show their support and strength by numbers. A small amount of time can make a big difference, particularly when large numbers of people act together in a coordinated manner for a common cause.

Becoming a member of TPA has been a most gratifying and significant step I have taken as I continue my path through my fourth year of pharmacy school. In a time when I am aware that I have so much to learn but feel lost half of the time, I feel great knowing that I am doing something positive to promote for the profession I love and have chosen. I look forward to the future of pharmacy and plan to continue doing my part to support advocacy in pharmacy. I plan to continue my membership at TPA when I graduate knowing and understanding the long hours and hard work TPA tirelessly puts forward. The possibilities are immense, and our profession can and will advance, but first we must do our part. Join and support TPA!

Lopez completed a six-week rotation with the Texas Pharmacy Association during September and October of 2018.