Policy and Advocacy Corner
When trying to organize your chapter's policy and advocacy are you putting the cart before the horse? Lauren Bode examines what it takes to make positive headway on your policy and advocacy goals.
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Policy and Advocacy Corner
Written by: Lauren Bode
“When you want to build a ship,
do not begin by gathering wood, cutting boards,
and distributing work, but awaken
within the heart of men the desire for the vast
and endless sea.“– Antoine de St.
Exupery
This
quote by the brilliant writer and fearless aviator Antoine de St.
Exupery has valuable lessons for
us as student leaders and policy and advocacy
enthusiasts. As leaders we have a
tendency to start with gathering wood and cutting boards,
but without sharing the longing
for the vast and endless sea with others, our ship
isn’t going anywhere fast.
With
policy and advocacy in particular, we must share with others why
advancing the practice of
pharmacy is vital to the progression of patient care and
to the future of our profession.
Certainly, teach others how to set up Hill visits
and reach out to legislators, but
more importantly, teach them why we must do
these things. Patients are
happier and healthier when pharmacists are on their
direct care team, so we need
legislation like HR4190 to help us be there. All of
us will have years of higher
education to be medication experts, ready to use
that knowledge to keep patients
safe and make the public healthier. Yet many do
not know this and would limit our
profession to the filling of bottles. St. Exupery’s
“vast and endless sea” for me is
a future for the profession where pharmacists
are integral members of every
healthcare team, in an academic medical center
as well as a rural family
medicine practice, where patients have access to our
services and are healthier
because of it, where we use our extensive training to
help patients live better lives.
What motivates you?
Whatever
it is, in the coming weeks, when you are talking about APhA-
ASP or pharmacy policy, talk
about the sea, and you will create an army of ship
builders.
About The APhA-ASP
APhA-ASP Region 3
The American Pharmacist Association is the oldest and largest professional organization for pharmacists in the country. The Academy of Student Pharmacists is held within APhA and is comprised by student pharmacists throughout the nation who are still taking classes at their respective colleges of pharmacy. APhA-ASP puts a strong emphasis on patient care initiatives, advocacy for the profession, and overall training to become a professional in the field of pharmacy.
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