Are you feeling the urge to give back to your pharmacy profession? You can expand personally, as well as professionally. Here are a few of the multitude of ways you can give back.
Teach
Do you like to teach? If so, there are a number of ways to do so. For instance, you can serve as a volunteer adjunct faculty. You can also visit pharmacy schools as a guest lecturer. Teaching will benefit both you and your students or residents. Plus, you will continuously learn and find new ways to teach. You can even do case writing, take part in structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), or be a small-group conference leader.
Teaching is always a rewarding experience, and something you can do at any time in your career. Many pharmacists teach as preceptors to residents or pharmacy students for introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs). They also teach advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). You can have a lasting impact for students and residents by serving as a preceptor. All it takes is one piece of advice you gave them.
If you have an interest in teaching, let your manager or director know. You can also reach out to your local pharmacy school to offer to precept a rotation. It’s a great opportunity to give back to pharmacy schools and help the next generation of pharmacists.
Mentor
Becoming a mentor helps advance the pharmacy profession by sharing your experiences with future pharmacists. You can become a mentor through programs at pharmacy schools, residency programs, or pharmacy associations. Plus, you can serve as an advisor for pharmacy-student organizations. This is a type of mentorship to a group of students who share a common interest. You can also form a mentorship informally by meeting someone with a similar interest or background.
As a mentor, you help someone else grow professionally by offering advice based on your experiences. You also provide support. With an active and strong mentor-mentee relationship, you can help your mentee(s) with self-development.
Participate on Committees
Committees that you participate in can be at your own pharmacy, pharmacy societies outside of work, or in a pharmacy school. You’ll find committees for nearly any topic or specialty, so choose one that you have a passion for or one that you have expertise in. Do you see an opportunity to add new clinical services to your pharmacy? Lead a task force or work group to help with it.
Association Board Member
Want to have an influence at a larger scale? You can serve as a board member or committee member in local, state, or national pharmacy associations. Such associations advocate for the growth of the profession. They lobby for pharmacy-related legislative bills. These help create new opportunities for you to improve patient care, and they provide opportunities in networking and leadership development.
Community Outreach
One of the greatest ways to give back is to volunteer at outreach events. You’re not only giving back to the profession, but you’re also giving back to society. You can volunteer at local health fairs, medical mission trips, or prescription drug take-back days. There is a wide variety of community outreach events that welcome pharmacists like you. You can provide free clinical services and health screenings at local health fairs or community centers. You can do blood-pressure checks, blood-sugar checks, vaccinations, and much more! This can help empower patients to make lifestyle modifications.
If you want to give back to the pharmacy profession, there are many ways to choose from. You can volunteer to precept students at health fairs or go on medical mission trips to care for underserved populations. There is no such thing as a small contribution. Your opportunities are endless, and they’re all gratifying.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
