Every two years, students and pharmacists get an exciting opportunity to meet at the Capitol in order to represent and advance the profession of pharmacy. For most students and some pharmacists, it will be their first time to visit the Capitol and to speak to thier representative or senator which can be nerve wracking. During my first visit, I overheard several questions such as “what do I say” or “why am I here?” The SPARx program is a great way to address these concerns and instill confidence to future pharmacists. Too many of us complain about the issues, yet either do nothing or do not know where to start. The regulation and legislation workshops are a great tool for educating students on how government works, the current issues in pharmacy, and how to take action.

Recently, I was at a residency mentoring social which consisted of at least 150 students and pharmacists. When the speaker, Dr. Anjanette Wyatt, asked the audience how many people know who their representative or senator is, less than 5 people raised their hands. These people are the movers and changers in our field, yet less than 1% could identify their legislator. I expect that this will change after the SPARx Program and that we can produce more active and passionate pharmacists. Moving forward, I hope we can all come together as leaders in the community, in order to change the profession of pharmacy to how WE see fit, so patients are able to receive the best care at the end of the day.